THE 

BELIEVER'S GOLDEN CHAIN; 

EMBRACING THE SUBSTANCE OF SOME DISSERTATIONS OJf 

CUEIST'S FAMOUS TITLES, 

A VIEW OF ZION'S GLORY, 

AND 

CHRIST'S VOICE TO LONDON- 

BY WIIXIAM DYER, 

Minister of the Gospel at Cfiesham, England, 

WITH 

A GUIDE TO PRAYER; - 

BEING THE SUBSTANCE OF SOME ESSAYS ON TBI 
SPIRIT AND GIFT OF PRAYER. 

BY ISAAC WATTS, B. B« 



COMPILED AND PUBLISHED BY S. S. HENDERSON 



WHEELING, VA: 
PRINTED BY JOHN B. WOLFF. 
.1849. 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1849, by 

S. S. HENDERSON, 

tft the Clerk's offiec of the District Court of the U. S., for the District of Ohia, 



STERJWTYPKD BY J. B. WoiFF, WhEKLXNO, Va. 

Stereotyper, Book and job Printer and Generai^Publisher. 






I 



PKEFACE. 

Dear Reader : — You are aware that 
knowledge in a great measure, forms the true 
dignity and happiness of man. It is that by 
which he holds an honorable rank in the 
scale of human existence, and by which he is 
rendered capable of adding to the felicity of 
his fellow creatures. Hence, every attempt 
to enlarge its boundaries, and facilitate its ac- 
quisitions, must be considered worthy of our 
attention and regard. 

The present work is designed to promote 
these valuable and important ends. Notwith- 
standing there may be defects in this publica- 
tion which have escaped my observation; yet 
considering the leading features of this work, 
gleaned from the writings of the celebrated 
Mr. We Dyer of England, and Isaac 
Watts, D. D., the source ought to constitute 
an over whelming argument, and its worth 
a satisfactory apology for offering it to the 
public oatronage at the present time. It is a 



IV 

work of that description for which there ever 
has been, is, and ever will be a constant de- 
mand! It has been executed with the single 
purpose of public utility, hoping to awaken 
hypocrites, convert sinners, establish Christians 
and comfort souls. Let this be the effect, and 
we have fully gained our end in its publication. 
May the Lord make the perusal of this com- 
pilation effectual in accomplishing these val- 
uable purposes on all, into whose hands this 
work may chance to fall ! It is submitted to 
the ordeal of public opinion. 

S. S. HENDERSON. 



THE 

EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 

to all my friends, into whose hands these shall 
come : Greeting, 

My dearest friends, whom I love dearly, remember 
daily, long for greatly, pray for earnestly, and praise 
God heartily, to whom I could write with my purest 
blood, and do send these lines from my very inward 
bowels. 

Though I cannot say I am so transported with affec- 
tion and zeal as Paul, to wish myself accursed from 
Christ for your sakes; yet I am persuaded I could be 
content with Jonas to be cast into the sea, for the paci* 
fying of God's wrath for you ; that I may be free from 
the blood of all men, I am resolved in the strength, and 
by the power of God, to deal plainly, and I hope sin* 
cerely with all men; not valuing the smiles, nor fearing 
the frowns of wicked men; it is better to lose the smiles 
of men, than it is to lose the souls of men; tho' there 
be many that be enemies to me, yet I am an enemy to 
none, a hater of no man's person, but a lover of every 
man's soul : he that loved me when I was an enemy, 
commanded me to love my enemies Dear Christians, 



Vi EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 

cleave to the Lord, and follow after the Lord fully. 
Neglect no duty, though you know there is danger in 
doing : fear God and sin, more than men and suffering : 
let your souls bear up with Christ, bear off from the 
world, bear down your corruption, and bear forth your 
testimony; respect all, reject none of God's command*- 
ments; take patiently and thankfully the hardest deal- 
ings of God. 

The heaviest afflictions on earth are but light in com- 
parison of Christ's sufferings, or the punishment of the 
wicked in hell : when God's people are humble enough, 
and the wicked high enough, and the Lord's appointed 
time come, then expect deliverance to the godly, and 
not before. You should not envy the patience of God 
towards your enemies, for it is nothing in comparison of 
what love he showeth to you, be you diligent at your 
work, and leave God at his work : you need not fear 
success; the Lord would soon turn from his wrath, if 
men were turned from their wickedness ; look narrov/ly 
to your hearts, tongues, and ways : I never trusted God 
but I found him faithful, nor mine own heart but I found 
it false. Take heed, friends, that you be not always 
wooing Christ, and yet never married to him : therefore 
never leave till you have put the great question out of 
question. 

Look upon Christ first without you, and then search 
for Christ within you : he that will clearly see with the 
eye of faith, must shut the eye of reason : it is the will 
of God, that saints shall rejoice more in what Chris* 
hath done for them, than what they have done for Christ* 

Oh, lay up, and lay out for Christ; make haste and 
do your work, and God will make haste and give you 
your wages. 



EPISTLE DEDICATOR" yjj 

Dear sirs, 1 beseech you with beseecning, considor 
well of these things; for these are precious truthsi 
weighty truths, and necessary truths. 

I shall add no more, but promise you my prayers, and 
do request your prayers for me, and for a blessing upon 
this, that it may bring glory to God and good to you* 
which is all that is aimed at by him, who is, 

Your souVs servant, 

WILLIAM DYER 



TO THE 

CHRISTIAN READER. 

It is the great unhappiness of our age, that the great- 
est part of men busy themselves most in that which 
concerns them least. Look into the world among rich 
and poor, high and low, young and old, and see whether 
it appear not by the whole scope of their conversations, 
that they set more by something else than Christ and 
salvation. So they may have but some of the earth in 
their hands, they care for nothing of heaven in their 
hearts, though gold can no more fill their hearts than 
grass their purses. 

Most men are like that silly woman, that when her 
house was on fire, so minded the saving of her goods 
that she left her child roasting in the flame ; at last bet- 
ing put in remembrance of it, she cries out, Oh, my 
child, my child! Oh! how many men are there that 
drop into perdition, merely for a little wealth? 

There are many that are temporally miserable, that 
are eternally happy; and there are many that are tem- 
porally happy, that shall be eternally miserable. Oh! 
there is a great vanity in all worldly excellencies; the 
earth is big in our hope, but little in our hands; it can- 
not satisfy the sense of men, much less can it satisfy the 
bouIs of men. 

Dear children, according to my talents received, I 
have endeaavored to set forth the riches, the loveliness, 
the preciousness and excellencies which are in Christ, 



x TO THE CHRISTIAN READER. I 

to draw the heart after him, and to be sic-k of love foi 
him. Oh! Jesus Christ is a fountain of life, light, love, 
grace, glory, comfort, joy, goodness, always full and 
flowing, yea, overflowing. Paul was so much taken 
with Christ, that he was ever in his thoughts, always 
near his heart, and upon his tongue: he names him six 
or seven times in one chapter, 1 Cor. i. that our 
hearts and tongues were thus busied about Christ, and 
taken up with Christ and those treasures of wisdom and 
knowledge that are in him. 

The design of this piece is not the ostentation of the 
author, but the edification of the reader; though the au- 
thor be contemptible, yet the matter is comfortable. I 
hope none will blow out such a" candle upon earth, by 
the light of which themselves may see the way to hea- 
ven. If God had given in more of himself to me, I 
should have given more out to thee; but God looks not 
for what he gives not. If God may have glory, and the 
church edification, by these labors of mine, I shall have 
ray end. Now the good Lord bring thy heart more and 
more in love with Christ, who is altogether lovely, that 
shortlv thou mayest enjoy endless felicity in his bosom. 

This shall be the prayer of him that is, 

Thy servant in Christ, 

WILLIAM DYER. 






THE DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS. 

He is altogether lovely.— Canticles 5, last verse. 

Out of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, comes bet- 
ter and sweeter honey, than out of Sampson's lion; 
that is the sweetest honey which we suck out of 
Christ's hive : for the face of none is so comely in a 
saint's eye, as the face of Christ; and the voice of 
none is so pleasant, in a saint's ear, as the voice of 
Christ: O Christian, the God whom thou servest 
is so excellent, that no good can be diminished in 
him. He makes happy, and is not the less happy ; 
he shows mercy to the full, and yet remains full of 
mercy. O come, eat and drink abundantly! O 
beloved, there is no fear of excess here, though one 
drop of Christ be sweet, yet the deeper the sweeter. 

The wine that Christ draws, is the best wine that 
a Christian drinks : this whole book of Canticles is 
bespangled with the praises of Jesus Christ: the 
subject of this book, is a declaration of the mutual 
intercourse of love and affection between Christ and 
his church : what spiritual entertainment is given on 
both sides, with the sweet content that they have in 
each other's beauty : here you may see the King in 
his glory, the Spouse in her beauty : here you may 
see Christ giving her sweet promises, adorning her 
with sundry excellencies ; communicating his love, 
and commending her graces : here you may also see 
the charcii even ravished with the consideration and 



it THE DXSXitX 

contemplation of Christ's love and beauty: His 
beauty is taking, his love is ravishing, his voice is 
pleasing, his goodness is drawing, his manifestation 
is enticing ; he is the beloved Son, and the Son of 
love ; he is nothing but love to those that are his 
love. 

But I shall no longer entertain you with a crumb 
at the door but carry you to the chapter out of which 
my text is taken, and to lead you to the cabinet where 
the jewel lieth. 

Brethren and Beloved, you have a glorious de- 
scription of Christ in this chapter, and that from v. 
10 to 16, where the Spouse is setting forth the rich- 
es, the dignity, the excellency, the beauty, the ma- 
jesty, the glory, the preciousness and loveliness of 
Jesus Christ, "He is white and ruddy, the chiefest 
among ten thousand. His head is as the most fine 
gold, his locks are bushy and black as a raven. His 
eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, 
\vashed with milk and fitly set. His cheeks are as 
a bed of spices, as sweet flowers ; his lips like lil- 
lies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh. His hands are 
as gold rings set with the beryl; his belly is as bright 
ivory overlaid with sapphires. His legs are as pil- 
lars of marble set upon sockets of fine gold: His 
countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. 5 ' 
And thus she sets forth her beloved, and at last con- 
cludes with this rare expression, "He is altogether 
lovely." 

This text is a sacred cabinet, which contains in 



OF AUL. NATIONS. 13 

First, The jewel Christ, in this word He; 

Secondly, The price of the jewel, altogether 
lovely. 

The observation or doctrine is this, That Jesus 
Christ is infinitely and superlatively lovely. He is 
the most amazing and delightful object. The very 
name of Jesus Christ is as precious ointment pour- 
ed forth. It is said that the letters of his name were 
found engraven on the heart of Ignatius. Jesus 
Christ is in every believer's heart, and nothing can 
do better there, for 'he is altogether lovely. That 
Jesus Christ is transcendently lovely, will appear 
four manner of ways: 

First, By titles. 

Secondly, By types. 

Thirdly, By resemblances. 

Fourthly, By demonstrations. 

I shall speak only to the first of these. Our Lord 
Jesus hath seven famous and lovely titles which am 
as so many jewels of his crown. 

First. The desire of all nations. 

Secondly, The King of Kings. 

Thirdly, The everlasting Father 

Fourthly, The Mighty God. 

Fifthly, The Prince of Peace. 

Sixthly, The Elect Precious. 

Seventhly, Wonderful. 

We will begin with the first of these famous titled* 
viz : The desire of all nations. 

This you have in the second of Haggai and 7tl 
verse. And the desire of all nations shall come. 



14 THE DESIRE 

But you shall say how is Christ the desire of all 
nations? Do not all the nations abhor him, and say 
We will not have this man to rule over us? The 
kings of the earth set themselves, and rulers take coun- 
sel together, against the Lord and against his an- 
ointed, Psal. ii, 2. The kings of the earth are 
afraid least the government of Christ should unking 
them; the rulers are jealous least it will depose them 
from their dignities , even the reformers that have 
adventured all to set it up, are jealous least it will 
encroach upon their power and privileges; kings are 
afraid of it, and think themselves but half kings 
where Christ doth set up his word and discipline; 
lawyers are afraid of it, least it should compel them 
to subjection to the law and way which their souls 
abhor. Oh, how long hath the world rebelled 
against Jesus Christ, and his government! 

But tell me, have the people gained any thing 
by resisting Christ, his gospel and government, by 
hating his servants, and by scorning his holy ways; 
or doth it make the crown sit faster on the heads of 
kings? I shall leave you to judge of this. 

But beloved, for all this, Jesus Christ is the desire 
of all nations. 

And all that I shall show you in five paticulars. 

Though Jesus Christ be not actively desired by 
all nations, yet he is rightly stiled, The desire of 
of all nations. 

First, Because he is most desirable in himself, 
and all things that are desirable are in him. 

Beauty is in Christ, bounty is in Christ, riches 
and honor are in Christ, Prov. viii. 18. 



OF ALL, NATIONS. 15 

Jesus Christ is the treasure hid in the gospel, 
the pearl of great price ; he is the sun in the firma- 
ment of the scripture, whom to know is everlasting 
life: He is a spring full of the water of life, and 
hive of sweetness, a magazine of riches, a river of 
pleasures, wherein you may bathe your souls to all 
eternity. 

O ! He is fulness and sweetness. The chiefest 
among ten thousand, Cant. v. 10. He is more 
precious than rubies; and all the things thou canst 
desire are not to be compared to him, Prov. iii. 15. 

Alas! what are all the crowns and kingdoms of 
the world, all the thrones and sceptres of kings to 
Christ? I say, wliat are the treasures of the east, 
the gold of the west, the spices of the south, and 
the pearls of the north to him? This, or whatsoever 
thou dost imagine are not to be compared unto the 
blessed Jesus ; beloved, the glories and excellencies 
of Christ excel all others. As all waters meet in 
the sea, and as all the lights meet in the sun; so all 
the perfectness and excellencies of all the saints and 
angels meet in Christ. Nay, sirs, Christ hath not 
only the holiness of angels, the loveliness of Saints, 
and the treasure of heaven, but also the fulness of 
the Godhead, of the riches of the Deity are in him 
Col. i. 9. For it hath pleased the Father that 
in Mm should all fulness dwell; fulness of grace, 
fulness of knowledge, fulness of love, fulness of 
glory. He is lovely to the father, lovely to the an- 
gles, lovely to the saints, and lovely to the soul. 
Arid therefore he may well be called the desire of 
ail iiations, for all desirable things are in him. 



THE DESIRE 



Secondly* Jesus Christ is called the desire of 
all nations, because his desire is after all nations, 
though he hath no need of them ; he hath thousands 
of angels before him, and ten thouand daily to min- 
ister unto him, yet such infinite love doth he bear 
to the sons of men, in whom there is no loveliness, 
that he himself saith, My delight is with the sons 
of men, Prov. viii. 31, That our Lord Jesus hath 
a strong desire after the nations to convert them, 
and save the nations, will appear by three things. 

1st. By what he did before he came into the world. 

2dly. By what he did when he was in the world. 

3dly. By what he doth now when he is out of the 
world . 

First, Our Lord Jesus had a great desire after 
the poor nations before he came into the world, or 
else he would never have left his crown, his royal 
court, his father's bosom, his glorious robes, to 
come into this world Jo be spit upon by men, and 
to be murdered by men; nay, he did not only become 
a laughing stock to men, but a gaz ing stock to angles. 
Now, beloved, do you not think Jesus Christ had 
a great desire after the nations 5 good, that he would 
leave all his glory and gentleness, and pomp, and 
riches, to come into this world to be poor, to be 
hungry, to be weary, to be tempted, to be betrayed, 
to be sold ? 

But you may perhaps say, that Christ little thought 
his own countrymen would have shed his blood, 
and that one of his own family would betray him. 

Why beloved do you think he did not know it? 
yea, he knew it before he came into the world, how 



OF ALL NATIONS. 17 

he should be used in the world, that the Jews would 
crucify him, and that Judas would betray him. 
John vi. 46. He knew it from the begining who they 
were that believed not, and who should betray him . 
Christ knew it before he came from heaven, what 
coarse entertainment he should have upon earth. 
Now, beloved, put all this together, and tell me had 
not Jesus Christ a great desire after us before he 
came to us that he would uncrown himself, to crown 
us; and put off his robes to put on our rags; and 
to come out of heaven, to keep us out of hell ? He 
fasted forty days that he might feast to all eternity: 
He came from heaven to earth, that he might send 
us from earth to heaven. 

The Son of God become the Son of man, that 
we the sons of men might become the sons of God ; 
and all this he did to save the nations. 

Secondly, He had a strong desire after the nations 
when he was in the world. 

O ! Christ would fain have saved the nations, and 
healed them, and enlightened them : therefore he 
sends forth his apostles, Matt, xxviii. 19, and bids 
them Go and teach all nations ; the people where in 
his eyes, and upon his heart ; and so in Matt, xxii, 
Christ sends forth his servants once, twice, thrice, 
as if he would take no denial, but they would not 
come. Nay, beloved, our Lord Jesus Christ did 
not only send others to poor souls to beseech them, 
to entreat them to come in, to repent, and to believe 
in their Savior, that their souls might be saved: but 
he went himself and desired them; nay, that is not 



18 THE DESIRE 

all, beloved, he cried to them, and said, If any man 

thirst, let him come unto me and drink, John, 
vii. 37. 

O ! how earnest was Jesus Christ with poor souls 
to come to him. Come unto me all ye that labor 
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. — 
Matt. x. 28. So in Luke xiv. 23, Go to the high- 
ways and compel them to come in, that my house 
may be full. 

Do you see this, Christians, what vehement de- 
sires Jesus Christ had after the nations, and souls 
of men, that he might ever make them happy when 
he was in the world, and he hath the same desire 
still. How often would Jesus Christ have healed 
the Jews, that poor nation, as he himself speaketh, 
in Matt, xxiii. 27, How often would I have gath- 
ered thy children together as a hen gathereth her 
young ones, and ye would not. Nay, when lie 
hath done all this, he doth not leave them, but 
weeps over them : his eyes were wet because their 
eyes were dry. So this is clear from w T hat Christ 
did when he was in the world, that he desireth 
much the healing and converting of nations. 

First ; In his bearing with them. 

Secondly; In his proffers unto them. 

Thirdly ; He hath a great desire after the na- 
tions, now he is out of the world, though he be 
gone to hfeaven, and entered into glory, and there 
sitteth at the right hand of the Father; yet I say, 
his desires are as much after poor souls as ever.— 
This will appear by two things : 



OP ALL NATIONS. 19 

First ; In his forbearing and long-sufferance. 

O ! how long hath Christ borne with the sinful 
nations, and yet he bears with them still, notwith- 
standing they have broken his laws, and despised his 
gospel, and contemned his ordinance, and shed his 
saints blood, grieved his Spirit, and abused his mer- 
cies ; this and much more have they done, and yet 
he spareth them, that he may be gracious to them, 
Isa. xxx. 1, 8. And therefore will the Lord wait 
that he may be gracious to you. 

Therefore will he be exalted, that he may show 
mercy. 

Now beloved, do you think that Jesus Christ 
would take all this at the nations 5 hands, but that 
he is unwilling to destroy them, and most willing to 
save them. 

Secondly ; His love appears, not only by his 
bearing with them, but by his proffers to them. 

O, beloved, how r doth God stand day after day, 
month after month, and year after year, proffering 
himself, his Son, his mercy, his love, his grace and 
his glory to poor souls? 

Many have the space of repentance who nave not 
the grace of repentance. 

Now, my brethren, by these things you may see 
that Jesus Christ hath a great desire after the na- 
tions. 

Thirdly; Jesus Christ is called the desire of all 
nations, because it is He only that can make any 
person, family, or nation truly desirable. 

Oh beloved, what is the reason that the Lord of 



SO THE DESIRE 

Hosts prefers his people before all the sons of men? 
The Lord prefers his little remnant before all the 
world besides, Exod. xix. 5. You shall be a pe- 
culiar treasure unto me, above all people ; — the 
righteous is more excellent than his neighbor, Prov. 
xii. 26. Though his neighbor be a prince, a king, 
or emperor, or a pope, yet if he be more righteous, 
he is more excellent than he ; they are but base-born. 
Believers, be these worthies, of whom the world 
was not worthy, Heb. xi. 58. Ye are a chosen 
generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a 
peculiar people, 1 Peter ii. 6. Believers are not 
only diligent Christians, but excellent Christians. 

Now, what is the reason, beloved, that the saints 
are thus excellent above all others? Is it for their 
birth, breeding, or learning, or riches, or greatness, 
or honor? No, no, it is for none of these : but if 
you would know the reason, it is, because Christ is 
t formed in them, and married to them ; they have 
the new name, the new nature, the new heart, the 
new spirit. Oh! this is the reason, if there were 
any thing besides Christ that would make any na- 
tion, or family, or person truly desirable, it must be 
either birth, or greatness, or learning, or riches, 
beauty or wisdom or strength; now all these do not 
make any one desirable; for if they did, then those 
that sit upon the nations would be the most desira- 
ble persons under heaven, because they have the 
most of these. But for this see, Dan. iv. 17. And 
setteth up over it the basest of men, Rev. xvii. 
15. The waters which thou sawest, where the 



OF ALL NATIONS. 21 

whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and na- 
tions, and tongues ; so that none of these can do it, 
but Christ only, Rev. v. 10. 

He hath made us unto our God, kings and priests, 
O! Christ hath made every believer a king; it is 
Christ's beauty makes us beautiful : it is his riches 
that makes us rich: it is his righteousness that makes 
us righteous : he only makes us truly honorable, and 
desirable. Well may Christ be called the desire 
of all nations ; it is he that can make a nation de- 
sirable. 

Fourthly; Jesus Christ is called the desire of all 
nations, because all nations stand in need of Him. 
Nay, not only all nations, but all persons, young 
and old, rich and poor, high and low. He that 
will be saved, must have a Savior to save him, or 
else he can never be saved. The Apostle tells us, 
Acts iv. 12. Neither is their salvation in any other, 
for there is none other name under heaven given 
among men, whereby we can be saved. And 
Christ saith, John xiv. 6. I am the way, and the 
truth and the life ; no man cometh unto the Father 
but by me : So that not only all nations, but all per- 
sons stand in need of him. 

You may go to heaven without health, without 
wealth, without honor, without pleasures, without 
friends, without learning ; but you can never go to 
heaven without Christ. 

What will you do, if you begin to die naturally, 
before you begin to live spiritually? 

If the tabernacle of nature be taken down before 



22 THE DESIRE 

the temple of God be raised up; it your paradise 
be laid waste, before the tree of life be set up in it ; 
if you give up the ghost, before you receive the 
Holy Ghost ; if the sun of your life be set within 
you, before the Son of Righteousness shine upon 
you; if the body be fit to be turned into the earth, 
before the soul be fit to be taken to heaven ; if the 
second birth have no place in you, the second death 
shall have power over you. 

Though the nations need nothing more than 
Christ, yet they slight nothing more than Christ. 

Tell me how you will live when you die, that are 
dead whilst you live? 

O beloved ! is it not sad that the nations should 
refuse Christ, his gospel and government as they do? 

Indeed, if men might be their own judges, then 
Christ had no enemies, we are all his friends. 

If the Jews might so have been their own judges, 
it was not the Son of God whom they crucified, 
but an enemy to Caesar. It was not Paul a saint 
they persecuted, but one they found to be a pestilent 
fellow r : some men will say now, they do not perse- 
cute the saints of God, but seditious lunatics : but; 
God will shortly take off the veil of hypocrisy from 
their faces. 

O grieve for them,, that cannot grieve for them- 
selves, 

And tnus you see that all nations stand in need 
of Christ, who is the desire of all nations. 

Fifthly. Our Lord JSsus is called the Desire of 
all nations, because, when he sets himself up in any 



OF ALL KATIONS. 23 

one as their desire, then they run after him, and ac- 
count nothing too dear for him: So the church of 
God, Isa. xxvi. 8, 9, The desire of our soul is to 
thy name; with my soul have I desired thee in night; 
yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early. 

O! when the Desire of all nations once setteth up 
himself in the soul, then he becomes the desire of 
the soul. 

When he hath thus endeared himself to their 
souls, they count nothing too dear for him, all shall 
be at his command; their gold, their silver, their 
strength, their lives, Rev. x. 11. They loved not 
their lives unto the death. So that, beloved, let 
men be enemies to Jesus Christ, yet as soon as 
Christ sets up himself in their hearts they will love 
him, own him, serve him, and suffer for him. 

Now, sirs, put all these together, and it will fully 
prove Christ to be the desire of all nations 

I shall but make a short use of it, and so conclude 

Is it so that our Lord Jesus Christ is the desire 
of all nations, and that all things desirable are in 
him? Oh then, let me beg of you, Oh let me be- 
seech you for the Lord's sake, and for your souls 
sake, make Christ Jesus the desire of your souls. 

He is the desire of all nations, and shall he not 
be the desire of your souls? Whom will ye love, 
if not the King of saints? whom will ye long for, 
if not for the desire of all nation's? whom will ye 
prize, if not the Prince of Peace? He is the Son 
of God, the second person in the glorious Trinity, 
before whom angels and archangels, and all thfc 



24 THE KING OF~KINOS. 

hosts of heaven do bow. He is the glory of glories, 
the crown of crowns, the heaven of heavens ; he is 
a light in darkness, joy in sadness, riches in pov- 
erty, life in death; it is he that can resolve all your 
doubts, secure you in danger, save your souls, and 
bring you to glory, where all joy is enjoyed. ; O 
therefore, let all the glory of your glory be to give 
all glory, and yourselves to him. So much, or so 
little for this time. 



THE KING OF KINGS. 

He is altogether lovely.™ Cant. 5, 16. 

DOCTRINE—That Jesus Christ is infinitely 
and superlatively lovely. 

I now proceed to the second title, which is given 
to the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is King of Kings. 
Augustine desired to have seen three things before 
he died. First, Rome in her glory and purity. 
Secondly, Paul in the pulpit preaching. Thirdly. 
Christ in the flesh upon earth. Cato, the Heathen, 
repented himself of three things. First, That ever 
he spent a day idle. Secondly, That ever he reveal- 
ed his secrets to a woman. Thirdly, That ever he 
went by water when he might have gone by land. 



THE RING OF KINGS. 25 

Thales gave thanks for three things. First, That 
he was endued with reason, and was not a beast. 
Secondly, That he was a man and not a woman. 
Thirdly, That he was a Grecian, and not a Bar- 
barian. And I, poor I, desire to see three things 
before I die. First, Babylon's ruin. Secondly, 
Christ's reigning. Thirdly, Satan's binding. The 
angel hath sworn by him that lives for ever and ever. 
That time shall be no longer, Rev. x. 6. Who 
will not believe his sacred oath? did he say it? 
No, he swore itj how? by himself? No, by HIM 
that lives for ever. What? that time must be a lit- 
tle ? No it must be no longer. The time shall be 
no longer. The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly 
come, said the Prophet, in Mai. iiu 1. They who 
keep the word of God's patience, God will keep 
them in the hour of temptation. 

Well, the second title of Jesus Christ is King of 
of Kings, I pray you to take notice of it, it is now 
to be handled, in Rev. xix. 16, He had a name 
written, saith the text, King of Kings, and Lori> 
of Lords. Here is his title now, King of kings. 
Beloved, Jesus Christ is a threefold King. 

First; His enemies' King.— Secondly ; Hb 
saints' King.-TAir<% ; His Father's King 

The first, he rules over.— The second, he rules 
in.— The third, he rules for. 

I shall begin with the first, and take them m 

order . , . ' 

- First ; Christ is his enemies' King, that is, he is 

King over his enemies. Christ is a King above all 

B 



26 THE KING OF KINGS. 

kings and over all kings, and therefore the Scripture 
calls Him King of Kings, as you have it in 1st. 
Tim. vi. 15. Christ is a King above all kings ; 
for if he were not a King above all kings, he could 
not be a king over all kings. Now, that he is a 
King above all kings, two scriptures prove it, Psal. 
Ixxxix. 27, Saith God the Father there, I will 
make my first born higher than the kings of the 
earth. Now, who is the first-born? Why, it is 
Jesus Christ ; as he is elsewhere called, the first- 
born of every creature. Now, saith God, I will 
make my first-born higher than the kings of the 
earth— higher in glory, higher in power, and higher 
in majesty. So in Eev. x. 5« There Christ i* 
called the Prince of the earth. Alas ! alas ! what 
are all the mighty men, the great, the honorable 
men of the earth to Jesus Christ ? They are but 
like a little bubble in the water ; for if all the na- 
tions, in comparison to God, be but as the drop of 
the bucket, or the dust of the balance, as the proph- 
et speaks, Isa. xl. 15, G how little then be the 
kings of the earth? 

Nay, beloved, Christ Jesus is not only above the 
kings of the earth, and higher than kings, but he is 
higher than the angels; yea, he is the head of an- 
gels; and therefore all the angels in heaven are 
commanded to worship him. He is the head of 
all angels, Col. ii. 10. He is the head of all prin- 
cipalities and powers, which includes the angels. 
And in Heb. i. 6, Let all the angels of God wor- 



THE KING OP KINGS. iff 

ship him. God will have the angels worship Christ, 
as well as men. 

O ! sirs, Christ is a King, before whom the an- 
gels vail their faces, and the kings of the earth do 
cast down their crowns. 

Again, as he is a King above all kings, so he is a 
King over all kings too. Jesus Christ is an uni- 
versal King. He is the King over all kingdoms, 
over all nations, over all governments, over al 1 
powers, over all people, Dan. vii. 14. There was 
given to him, saith the text, dominion, and power, 
and glory, and a kingdom, that all people*, and na- 
tions, and languages were to serve him. Now, who 
was this ? In the 13th verse it is clearly meant of 
Jesus Christ. All people, and all nations, and king- 
doms were to serve him : — so that you see Christ 
is not only King of saints, but King of nations 
too ; and therefore you find in Ps. ii. 8. It is a 
text often read, but little observed, Ask of me, saitb 
the Father, and I will give the Heathen for thine 
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for 
thy possession. — The very Heathens are given to 
Christ, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his 
posession. 

As the Lord Jesus Christ hath all the kingdoms 
of the earth given to him ; so likewise he hath all 
power given to him ; or else what would he do with 
a kingdom, in Matt, xxviii. 18. All power is giv- 
en unto me in heaven and in earth. — Oh ! sirs, here 
is a text that should revive the hearts of Saints. — 
All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth, 



2$ THE KING OP KINGS 

saith Christ to his apostles. — So that it is he that 
binds kings in chains, and princes in fetters of iron, 
as the last Psalm, saving one, speaks. It is he 
that suffers no man to do them wrong; yea, he re- 
proves kings for their sakes, and breaks mighty- 
kings in pieces for the saints' sake, Ps. cv. 13. — 
And, therefore it is he that over-rules kings, and 
overcomes the kings of the earth, and makes war 
with the saints. Rev. xvii. 14. The ten kings 
made war with the Lamb, but the Lamb prevailed ; 
and why? because he was King of kings, and Lord 
of lords.- This is the first, Jesus Christ is his ene- 
mies* King, that is, he is a King above their kings, 
and over their kings. 

Secondly ; As Jesus Christ is his enemies King, 
so he is his saints King ; I will give you two scrip- 
tures to prove it, though I need not, yet I will ; be- 
cause of making of things very clear, as I go on. 
Rev. xv. 3. There Jesus Christ is called the saints 
King, Thou King of saints. — So also in Matt. xxi. 
5. Tell ye the daughters of Zion, behold thy 
King cometh: — So that by these two scriptures, 
you see Jesus Christ is King of saints. Now, be- 
loved, I beseech you here to mind me ; Jesus Christ 
you see, is King of the bad, and of the good; but 
as for the wicked, he rules them by his power and 
might ; but the saints, he rules in them by his Spir. 
it and graces : now to this the scripture witnesseth 
that Jesus Christ rules in his saints, and is the king 
of the saints, and therefore it tells them, Col. i. 17, 
Christ is in you the hope of glory ; and elsewhere, 




THE KING OF KINGS. 29 

know ye not that Christ is in you, except ye be rep- 
robates. — Mark here, Christ must be in you, Christ 
in you the hope of glory. — So in Ps. xxiv. 7. Lift 
up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up ye 
everlasting doors, that the King of glory may come 
in. — Here Christ is called the King of glory ; and 
the Psalmist calls upon men to open their hearts 
that the King of glory may come in : so in Rev. 
iii. 20. Behold I stand at the door and knock, if 
any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will 
come in and sup with him, and he with me. — O 
this is Christ's spiritual kingdom, and here he rules 
in the hearts of his people, here he rules over their 
consciences, over their wills, over their affections, 
over their judgments and understandings, and no 
body hath any thing to do here but Christ ; it is 
Christ that rules over the consciences and judgments 
of men, and therefore he is called, The Kkigs of 
saints. — It is true other kings may bear rule ove? 
the estates of men : but as for the soul, that only 
belongs to Christ ; and therefore believers are sa-id 
to be all glorious within. The King's daughter, 
which is the church, in Ps. xlv. 13. The King of 
glory rules there, and dwells there ; you know God 
dwells in the highest heavens, and in the humblest 
hearts. Christ is not only the King of nationsfbut 
King of saints ; the one he rules over, the other he 
rules in. 

Thirdly ; Jesus Christ is his Father's King too, 
and so his Father calls him, God calls Christ his 
King, in Ps. ii, 6, I will set my King upon my 



30 # THE KING OP KINGS. 

holy hill of Zion. — Well may he be our King, 
when he is our God's King. But you may say, 
how is Christ his Father's King? Because he 
rules for his Father ; there is a twofold kingdom 
of God committed to Jesus Christ ; Pray, mark, 
sirs: 

First ; A spiritual kingdom, by which he rules 
in the hearts of his people, and so is King of 
saints. 

Secondly ; A providential kingdom, by which 
he rules the affairs of this world, and so he is king 
of nations. Now beloved, the Scriptures saith, 
That the Father hath put all things in Christ's hand, 
John, iii. 35. And the apostle tells us, God hath 
put all things under his feet. The Father judgeth 
no man, but hath committed all judgment to the 
Son, and he hath appointed him over his own house : 
now, as Christ hath all, so he doth all, and rules 
for his Father ; and therefore the Father calls him 
his servant, Isa. xli. 2. Behold my servant; and 
in the other text; my King, because he rules for his 
Father, and doth his Father's will : so that beloved, 
in these three respects Christ is a King. Now I 
shall lay down some things wherein the Lord Je- 
sus doth infinitely excel all other kings of the 
earth., 

First ; Jesus is a King, that in a spiritual sense 
makes all his subjects kings. He hath a crown of 
glory for every subject. Q what a glorious King is 
this ! now that Christ makes all his subjects kings, 



THE KING OP KINGS. 31 

see Rev. v. 10, saith the church there, Who hath 
made us unto our God ki igs and priests. 

Oh, sirs, it is better co be a member of Christ 
than the head of nations : oh, how infinitely happy 
are all Christ's subjects ! they be all kings, ail heirs, 
all favorites, all sons, all true believers are so ; the 
believer is the only happy man. Alas ! where is 
there sue' a king to be found that makes all his 
subjects Kings ? there are many kings that undo their 
subjects, but Christ makes his subjects kings; ma- 
ny kings make their subjects beggars, but Christ 
makes his subjects kings ; many kings put their sub- 
jects to death, but Christ died that his subjects 
might live. They give their subjects titles, but 
Christ gives all his subjects grace and glory 

Sirs, in a word, this is the greatest nobility, to 
be the servant of the great God ; he is nobly de- 
fended, who is born from above. Oh! how many 
lords hath that man that hath not Christ for his 
Lord ? every sin is his lord, and every lust lords it 
over him. Now where Jesus Christ com^s to be 
king, he makes them kings to his Father, and kings 
over their lusts. Now, beloved, here is the bless- 
edness and happiness of our King, he makes us all 
kings, and gives us all crowns of glory. 

Secondly > Jesus Christ is a most just and right- 
eous King; he reigns in righteousness, he brings 
peace by righteousness, he makes us righteous, and 
there he is called the Lord of our Righteousness. 
Jer. xxiii. 6. Now beloved, other kings often deal 
unjustly, they bear tha sword to execute wrath upon 



89 THE KINO OF KINGS. 

well doers, and strengthen the hands of evil doers ; 
justify the wicked, and condemn the godly; and break 
oaths, falsify covenants; and many times they oppress 
their subjects, and wrong their people ; and there- 
fore the Scripture says, When the wicked bear rule 
the people mourn, Prov. xxix 2. When the right- 
eous is in authority the people rejoice ; but when 
he wicked bear rule,* the people mourn. But now 
beloved, Jesus Christ as he is a righteons king, so 
he rules in righteousness, and thou shalt have noth- 
ing but righteous dealing from him ; mind this text 
Df scripture which infinitely speaks out Christ's 
righteous dealing with poor souls, in Rev. xv. 13. 
Just and true are thy ways. Mark who are just 
and true here. 

Why ? It is the King of saints, just and true are 
thy ways, thou king of saints, justice and truth well 
beconaeth the king of saints. In Prov. iii. 27, it 
is said, her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all 
her paths are peace : speaking of wisdom, which is 
meant of Christ ; Oh, what a golden king is here ! 
what a glorious king is here ! he is just and true, 
and all his ways are pleasantness, and all his paths 
are peace. Oh sirs, this is the excellency of Christ, 
he oppresseth no body, he wrongs no body, there- 
fore he is called just and true ; he infinitely excels 
all the kings of the earth in righteousness : he is a 
righteous King, and deals for nothing but for right- 
eousness* 

Thirdly, Christ is a king that liveth for ever, and 
teigns forever: other kings they are but of yester* 






THE KING OF KINGS. 33 

day ; they be dead and gone : what has become of 
all those great and mighty kings we read of? why 
they be gone like a tale, like a dream. But it is 
not sq with the king of saints, the Lord is king for 
ever, he reigns for ever : and therefore the apostle 
calls him a King immortal, eternal, as you may see 
in 1 Tim. i 17. Christ is there called a King im- 
mortal, because he lives for ever. So in Heb. vii. 
25: speaking of Christ who ever lives, saith he, to 
make intercession for us. Now beloved, here is 
the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, lie lives forever: 
other kings die, and their subjects may do what they 
will, but Jesus Christ lives for ever. 

Fourthly, Jesus Christ is a King that hath a 
perfect knowledge of all his subjects: Oh, sirs, 
kings and princes, and states do not know all their 
subjects ; nay, they know very few : alas ! they do 
not know a quarter of them, the poor subjects are 
unknown to them, they be not acquainted with all 
the wrongs, wants and miseries that their poor sub- 
jects lie under. We are unknown most of us to our 
prince : but now here is the excellency of Christ, 
he hath a perfect knowledge of all his subjects, he 
knows them all by name; he knows all their thoughts, 
all their wants, all their ways, all their conditions. 
Now I say this is a greater happiness, that we have 
a king that knows us so well. 

Oh, poor souls, Christ knows you all, all your 
wants, all your conditions, all your necessities what- 
soever. The Lord Jesus knows all thy sufferings, 
and therefore saith Paul, in Phil, iv 19, My God 



34 THE KING OF KINGS. 

shall supply all your wants. Oh it is a sweet scrip- 
ture, My God shall supply all your needs. So say 
I to you, sirs, your King will supply all your needs: 
he knows all your needs, he knoweth all your 
straits, all your fears ; yes, and he will supply all 
your needs : Oh, here is the excellency of this King. 

Fifthly, Jesus Christ is a King that sits upon his 
Father's throne, at this very time he sits upon his 
Father's throne. But beloved, this is not all. 
Christ doth not only sit there himself, but he hath 
promised that all men, who overcome, shall sit 
down with him upon his throne; you have a full 
text to this purpose, in Rev. iii. 21. To him that 
overcometh will I grant to sit upon my throne. 

Mark, sirs, Christ promises all his subjects, that 
they should sit upon the throne with him; now, I 
wonder [where there is any king but Christ, who 
will suffer his subjects to sit upon his throne with 
him. Alas ! this would be treason for a man to de- 
sire it. I remember among other things, I have 
read of a king, who passing over a water, his crown 
fell from his head into the water, and one of his poor 
servants, out of love to him, leaped in and fetched 
it up, and for his more ease put it on his head, that 
he might get the better out; and for this the poor 
man had his head cut off. So high, mighty and 
lofty was this prince ; ay, but sirs, the Lord Jesus 
is not so, he is no such proud King, he did not on- 
ly uncrown himself to crown us, and wear the 
crown of thorns, that we might wear the crown of 
glory, but he consents and gives leave to his sub- 



THE KINO OF KINGS. 35 

jects to sit upon the throne with him. To him 
that overcometh, will I grant to sit with me upon 
throne. Oh, what a glorious King is this ! that 
every one of his poor subjects shall sit upon the 
throne with him. So in Rev. xxi 7: He that over- 
cometh shall inherit all things. A man would 
think, sirs, this very thing would draw the whole 
world after Christ. 

Oh ! how should this draw the affections of men 
to be in love with those great proffers, provileges 
and honor that Christ bestoweth upon his poor fol- 
lowers ? He doth not only make them kings, but 
he grants them to sit upon his throne with him ; 
thou wouldst say, it were an honor indeed ? Oh ! 
true believer, couldst thou look into heaven, and see 
Christ sit upon his throne ! But this honor hath 
all his saints ; yea, much more, he makes them all 
kings, and grants to them to sit upon the throne with 
him. 

Sixthly, Jesus Christ is a king that loves all his 
subjects, and all his subjects love him; and I am 
sure that this cannot be said of any king under hea- 
ven, but it may be said of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
for he is a king that loves all his subjects, and all 
his subjects love him ; and this I shall endeavor to 
show by this afternoon's exercise, and the next day 
I shall handle the other part, That all his subjects 
love him. There is nine or ten particulars wherein 
the love of Christ to his subjects doth appear, and 
is wonderfully manifested. 



3ff THE KING* OF KINGS 

First , His love to his subjects is a primary love. 
We love him, saith the Apostle, because he loved 
us first, 1st John iv. 19. We love him, and why? 
because he first loved us- His love is the cause 
preceding, our love is the effect following. If he 
had not fired our hearts with the flames of his love, 
we should never have bestowed one spark of spir- 
itual love upon Christ : he must draw before we can 
run: and therefore saith the church, Cant. i. 4. 
Draw us and we will run after thee : Sirs, we can- 
not run without drawing ; he must draw us before 
we can run, and when he draweth we run. It was 
not man's loveliness that engaged God to love and 
save men: God loveth his enemies even in their 
sinful estate, though not with a love of well-willing 
to them. 

Oh ! sirs, since God loved us when we were not 
like him, we should strive to be like him who thus 
loved us : nothing can engage a saint to love God 
so much as this, that God loved him so much. A 
minister once weeping at the table, and being asked 
the reason of it, answered, Because I love Christ no 
more. Indeed, friends, this should grieve us that 
we love rq little, who are so much beloved. You 
£>Ve a famous saying of Augustine, He loves not 
Christ at all, who loves him not above all. This is 
the first love wherewith God loves his people : it is 
a primary love 

Secondly r , Christ is a King that loves his subjects 
with a distinguishing love, and a separating love : 
;ft? general love of Christ is scattered and branched 



THE JCING OF KINGS, 37 

unto all the creatures in the world ; but his special 
love, his exceeding great and rich love is only set- 
tled upon his church. Now, if you ask me what 
Christ's distinguishing love is, I shall name it, and 
but name it to you. 

1. It is pardoning love. 2. It is redeeming love, 
3. Calling love. 4. Justifying love. 6. Adopting 
love. 6. Sanctifying love. 7. Gloryfying love. 

This I say is a particular love : Christ's love is 
not only sweeter than wine, but better than life: he 
is most lovely, he is altogether lovely: Christ is 
nothing but love to those who are his love. 

Thirdly, Christ loves his saints with a protecting 
love, Isa. xxix 15. Can a woman forget her suck- 
ing child, that she should not have compassion on 
the son of her womb? Is it possible a woman 
should be so inhuman as to forget her tender infant 
and not have compassion on the son of her womb ? 
Yes, saith the Lord, they may forget them : yet 
will I not forget thee. God may as soon cease to 
be God as cease to be good ; he may as soon cease 
to live, as cease to love ; no, no, he cannot forget 
them; did he forget Israel in Egypt, or his church 
in Babylon, or Daniel in the lion's den ? Did he 
forget the three children in the furnace, or Jeremiah 
in the dungeon, or Jonah in the whale's belly, or 
Peter in the prison; did he forget them? The 
wicked say, Indeed the Lord doth forget, in Ezelu 
ix. 9. The Lord hath forgotten the earth, and he 
sees it not; but they are much mistaken. There 
are three or four texts of scripture, which I shal) 



38 THE KING OF KINGS. 

humbly offer to your serious consideration, that do 
wonderfully speak out God's protecting love to his 
people. 

The first is in Rev. vii. 2, 3. You find there an 
angel hath power given him to hurt the earth and 
the sea. Now there comes another angel, and 
cries out, Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the 
trees. Why? What is the reason? In the 3rd 
verse. Until we have sealed the servants of God 
in their foreheads. Do not pour out your judg- 
ments upon them, until we have secured the ser- 
vants of God. Oh! how wonderfully doth the 
Lord protect his people ! So again, in Ezek. ix. 
Certain men he sent to destroy that wicked people, 
and among the rest, the Lord calls, and bids one 
set a mark on them that sigh for the abominations 
of the land ; and for the rest, saith he, destroy them, 
old and young. 

Oh! sirs, this doth wonderfully set out God's 
protecting love to his people. So in Isaiah iii. 8. 
The lord bids the Prophet tell them what sad judg- 
ments should come upon them, upon the kings and 
princes, great men and soldiers. Now, saith the 
Lord, say to the righteous, it shall be well with 
them, none of this shall come near them. Oh ! 
how wonderfully doth this magnify God's protect- 
ing love, Isa. xxvi. 20. Come, my people, enter 
into your chambers, shut the door and hide your- 
selves a little moment. Why so, O Lord? Why? 
until the indignation be overpast. Come, saith 



TUB KING OF KINGS. 39 

God, I am resolved to execute my judgments on 
wicked men; therefore hide yourselves for a mo- 
ment. And therefore I say, let no man's heart fail 
him, it is but for a moment, and then thy miseries 
shall end. Beloved, when our miseries are at the 
greatest, his help is at the nearest. Man's extrem- 
ity is God's opportunity. When Mordecai is thor- 
oughly humbled, the rude Haman shall be hanged. 
But then, Fourthly, Christ loves his people with 
a most cordial love; he loves them with all his 
heart ; nay, they are the dearly beloved of his soul, 
as himself called them, Jer. xii. 7. I have given 
the dearly beloved of my soul into- the hand of her 
enemies. Christ's love to his people is not a lip- 
love, from the teeth outwardly ; but a real love 
from the heart inwardly. Christ loves his people 
as his Father loves him ; and how is that, can you 
tell ? No, all the men on earth nor the angels in 
heaven cannot declare the love that the Father 
bears to Christ; and yet as God loves Christ, so 
doth Christ love his people. You have a full text 
for this, they are Christ's own words : As the Fa- 
ther loveth me, so I love you : O sirs, how infinite- 
ly doth the Father love the Son, and how infinitely 
doth he love his people? Why, he loves them as 
the Father loves him. Oh ! Lord, what love is 
this! That the Savior should love the sinner: 
that Christ should love the miserable sinner : and 
thus it is. Oh ! sirs, believers are like letters of 
gold engraven on the verv heart of Christ. O the 



40 THE KING OF KINGS. 

breadth, the heighth, the length, of the love of 
Christ, saith the Apostle, it passeth all knowledge; 
As if so be he wanted words to set it forth, Eph. 
iii. 29. The love of Christ, which passeth knowl- 
edge. As if so be there were both want of words, 
and want in words, to set forth the love of Christ : 
but certainly it must be very great ; for as the Fa- 
ther loves him, so he loves them. Alas! others 
love the saints; but how do they love them? Why? 
not with a cordial love ; they do not love them for 
their good, but for their goods ; it is more for the 
money in their purses, than for the grace in their 
hearts : they love the saints as the Samaritans did 
the Jews ; just as men do with their sun-dials, who 
never look on them but when the sun shines. Why 
so ? The world never looks upon the saints but in 
the time of prosperity. When the Jews flourished 
and were in their glory, Oh! what great friends 
were the Samaritans to them ! But when the poor 
Jews were under affliction, then they had no worse 
enemies than they : Why ; but Christ is not so, he 
loves thee when thou art poor, as well as when 
thou art rich; as well when thou art in thy rags, as 
when thou art in thy robes ; when thou art in ad- 
versity, as well as when thou art in prosperity. 
Christ loves his saints as well upon a gallows, as 
though it were in a palace ; for whom he loves he 
loves unto the end, Heb. xiii. 3. He is faithful, 
who hath said, I will never leave thee nor for for- 
sake thee ; never leave thee in anv condition, or 



THE KING OF KINGS/ 41 

any place. O, sirs, what a love is this ! And 
therefore, a rush for what the world can do, or for 
the world's love ; it is like a Venice glass, soon 
broken; it smiles now and quickly frowns ; it cries 
Hosanna to-day, and to-morrow, crucify him ; but 
Christ's love is from the very heart 

Fifthly. Jesus Christ loves his subjects with a 
love of benevolence, John iii. 16. God so loved 
the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that 
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but 
have everlasting life ; and saith Paul, he loved me, 
and gave himself for me, Gal. ii. 20. The Fath- 
er gives the Son, and the Son gives himself who 
loved me, and gave himself for me: all that Christ 
did and suffered, it is for me : all that Christ hath 
is mine. Oh ! soul, Christ's love is thine to pity 
thee : Christ's mercy is thine to save thee : Christ's 
graces are thine to beautify thee ; and his glory is 
thine to crown thee : Christ's power is thine to 
protect thee ; thou seest, he that is sure of God's 
love to him, is sure of God's power for him: and 
Christ's wisdom is thine to counsel thee : and his 
angels are thine to guard thee ; and his Spirit is 
thine to comfort thee ; and his word is thine to 
teach thee. There are four attributes of God which 
are of great support to Christians. 

1. His faithfulness. 2. His mightiness. 3. His 
goodness: and 4. His wisdom. 

Therefore, sirs, it is your duty to live upon promises 
while promises seem to run to the cross : Christ's 



42 THE KING OF KINGS, 

love to you is free love. All that he hath .given 
you is free, his grace is free, his love is free, his 
salvation is free, and himself is free. And a dram 
of grace in the heart, is better than a chain of gold 
about the neck. Now beloved, all that Christ hath 
bestowed on you, it is free, and therefore it is a love 
of benevolence. 

Sixthly, Christ loves his subjects with a love of 
compassion, sympathizing with them in all their 
sorrows and sufferings; truly this is a great comfort 
indeed ; in all their afflictions, saith the text, he was 
afflicted, Isa. lxii 7. So saith the apostle, Heb. iv, 
15. We have not an high-priest which cannot be 
touched with the feeling of our infirmities ; that is, 
we have an high-priest that is touched with the feel- 
ing of our infirmities; one that doth weep with our 
tears, sigh in our sighs, sorrow in our sorrows, and 
suffer in our sufferings ; and therefore saith Chirst, 
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ? Oh ! what 
a sweet love is this! a love of compassion, and sym- 
pathizing with us in all sorrows and sufferings : 
Christ was first persecuted by Paul in his members, 
and afterward he was persecuted in Paul as one of 
his members. 

Now beloved, Jesus Christ loves his subjects 
with a love of compassion, and therefore let thy suf* 
ferings be what it will, Jesus Christ doth only as it 
were bear a share with thee. 

Seventhly, Jesus Christ loves his people with a 
love of delight and complacency, Prov. viii, 17. I 
love them th?t love me. The King shall greatly 



THE KING OP KINGS. 43 

delight in thy beamy. Psalm xiv. 11 : speaking 
there of Christ; the King shall greatly delight in 

thy beauty, with great delight and complacency 

And therefore, beloved, Christ calls his church, his 
love, his dove, his beloved, his fair one. Then, 
how infinitely doth Christ love his church ! Cer- 
tainly Christ bears a great love to his church : and 
hence it is you read, Christ walketh among the 
golden candlesticks, and he feedeth among the lilies, 
and his delight is with the sons of men. Although 
poor believers be ravens in the world's eye, yet they 
are doves in Christ's eye : they are very precious in 
his esteem ; though they be the loathing of wicked 
men's souls, yet they are the dearly beloved of God's 
soul, he delights in them. The King shall greatly 
delight in them. 

Eighthly, Christ loves his people with an ever- 
lasting love, and an undying love : it is a love that 
never dies, never waxeth cold; Christ's love is like 
a fountain ever flowing, and never dried up : whom 
he loves from eternity, these he loves to eternity, 
and they are believers. Now sirs, is not this a great 
favor to be beloved? In John. xiii. 1, He loves 
them even to the end, not for a day, a month, or a 
year, not for a flash and away; but even to the end. 
And in Jer. xxxi 3, speaking there of his love, it is 
called an everlasting love : I have loved thee, saith 
God, with an everlasting love. 

Oh sirs, this is a love that shall bed and board 
with thee, that shall lie down and rise up with thee, 
that shall go to thy death bed with thee, to the grave 



44 VHE KING OF KINGS. 

with thee, and to neaven with thee ; the saints shall 
put off the jewel of faith when they die, but not 
the jewel of love, for that shall remain with them 
to eternity. God loves his saints with an everlast- 
ing love. 

Ninthly ■, With an universal love, his love is uni- 
versal to all his saints. O there is not one saint but 
Christ infinitely loves : he loves poor Lazarus as 
well as rich Abraham, and despised Job as well as 
honorable David ; he loves the poorest saints as 
well as the richest, he loves them all alike ; God is 
no respecter of persons. Oh, where is there such 
a king as Christ? They love their nobles, they are 
their darling; but Christ loves all his subjects, 
Christ's love extends to all his saints : his love, it 
is like the beams of the sun, which reacheth al- 
ways east, west, north, and south : so doth Christ's 
love. 

Tenthly, His love is a correcting love. Whom 
he loveth, he chasteneth. He correcteth every son 
whom he receiveth. 

Eleventhly, Christ's love is a directing love; he 
hath promised to guide and direct his people in the 
way wherein they ought to walk. Oh, put all these 
particulars together, and sure you must needs con- 
fess that Jesus Christ loves his subjects infinitely ; 
as it was said of Lazarus, when Chirst wept foi 
him, they made this construction of it, O how he 
loves him. O sirs, how doth Christ love you whc 
are his people ? He loves you infinitely, even be- 
yond measure. 



THE KING OP KINGS. 45 

Now, O sirs, for the Lord's sake, consider of it, 
and let this draw forth your love to him. 

I shall, the next opportunity, come to show you 
;he love of Christ's subjects to him. If the Loid 
jive leave. 



^W«/*'WS*VN^w^^m ' ^0^^ < W j « > I ^M> 



CANTICLES V. 16. 

The spouse indeed was sick of love, but Christ 
exceeded her; for he died for love. Whilst we 
were sinners, Christ died for us, saith the apostle. 
He loved us more than his own life; yea, the very 
life of Christ to him was not too dear for us. Some 
write of a fowl called a pelican, and they say, That 
she feeds her young ones with her own blood. O ! 
sirs, Christ is our pelican, that hath nourished and 
fed us with his own blood. My flesh is meat in- 
deed, and my blood is drink, indeed, saith Christ, 
John vi. 55. Christ's red blood hath taken away 
our red guilt ; searlet-red sinners are by grace be- 
come milk white saints : all our precious mercies 
come swimming to us in precious blood. 



46 THE KING OF KINGS. 

Christ bled love at every vein, his drops of blood 
were drops of love ; yea, the more bloody the more 
lovely: he was most lovely upon the cross, because 
then he showed most love to us. 

The last day I showed you the great love which 
Jesus Christ bears to all his subjects; and the sum 
of my discourse was this, That Jesus Christ loves 
his subjects with an everlasting and undying love. 
That which I am now to show you is this, that 
all Christ's subjects love him, and what kind of a 
love it is. 

The saints 5 love to Christ is vehement and strong; 
this will appear, if you consider to what the scrip- 
ture likens and compares the saints' love. Now it 
is compared to four things. 

1. To sickness. 2. To death. 3. To the grave. 
4. To fire. To these things is a believer's love 
compared in scripture ; I shall handle them in order. 

First, Sickness. This is the first comparison 
which doth set forth the strength of the believers's 
love; this is set down in two places of this book of 
Canticles, Cant. ii. 5. Stay me with flagons, com- 
fort me with apples, for I am sick of love. And iu 
chapter v. 8, Tell ye him whom my soul loveth, 
that I am sick of love. She is overwhelmed, she 
is overcome, and even ravished with his love and 
beauty. Oh ! I thirst, I faint, I pant, I long for 
him. Oh ! sirs, the church is very sick, and ready 
to swoon ; never was Ahab so sick for a vineyard, 
never was Sisera so desirous for milk, nor Sampson 
for water, nor Rachel for a child, nor Amnon for 



THE KING OF KINGS. 47 

his sister Tamar, as poor broken-hearted sinners 
are for Christ ; when Christ gets into the heart, be 
draws all the affections to him. I remember the 
speech of a gracious woman, I have borne, said she, 
nine children, with as much pain as other women, 
and yet I could with all my heart bear them over 
again; yea, bear them, and bear them all the days 
of my life, that I might be sure of a part in Christ. 
Oh! how infinitely do believers love Christ ! Da- 
vid wonders at his own love, Psa. cxix. 97. O! 
how I love thy law ! He makes a wonder at it here; 
with what vehemency he loves God's word, O 
how love I thy law ! so the spouse here; she does 
not only love him, but she is sick of love, ready to 
die for love. O sirs, here is a sickness, not unto 
death, but unto life: it is a sickness that still bring- 
eth blessedness and happiness with it; a sickness 
that shall be cured by him, who is the great physi- 
cian of souls. This is the first ; she compares her 
love with sickness. 

Secondly ; The next thing whereby she express- 
eth the strength of her love to Christ, it is by death: 
this you have in Cant. viii. 6. She there tells you, 
her love is strong as death. Beloved, you know 
death is strong, it is the king of terrors; and the ter- 
ror of kings: it subdues all sorts of people, high and 
low, rich and poor, old and young, good and bad, 
the greatest monarchs, kings and emperors have been 
thrown down by death : where did ever that man 
dwell that was too strong for death ? If strength 
could have resisted it, then Sampson had missed it; 



48 THE KING OF. KINGS. 

could greatness have overlooked it, Nebuchadnezzar 
had escaped it, then Absalom had never met it; 
could riches have bribed it, Dives had avoided it ; 
but alas! none of those gallants were hardy enough 
for death, it trode on the necks of them all: and 
therefore, O look upon death also, as a thing you 
must meet with. Now by this, you may guess 
what love is, it is strong as death; ay, strong in- 
deed, O how strong is death ! Nay, believers love 
to Christ is not strong as death, but stronger than 
death ; as some Scriptures make it appear,— A be- 
liever's love to Christ is stronger than death, I am 
persuaded, saith Paul, neither life, nor death, prin- 
cipalities nor powers, nor things present, nor things 
to come, shall ever be able to separate us from the 
love of Christ Jesus our Lord, Rom. viii. 38. 39. 
Death, though it may kill us, it cannot hurt us; 
though death may send us to the pit of darkness, yet 
it cannot send us to the place of torments ; though 
it may take away our lives, yet it cannot take away 
our loves; bloody tyrants have taken away the mar- 
tyrs' lives for Christ, but they could never destroy 
their love to Christ. One of the Primitive Chris- 
tians when he came to suffer, "Oh," saith he, "I 
shall die for my Savior but once, I have no more 
lives to lay down; O I could die an hundred times 
for him." Oh ! sirs, love is a thing that outlives 
all enemies, all persecutions, all dangers; nay, death 
itself. In Rev. xii. 11, saith the text, they loved 
not their lives unto the death : and so saith Job. 
Though thou kill me, yet will I trust in thee ; as jf 



THE ICING OF KINGS £§ 

he had said, Oh, Lord, though thou take away my 
posterity, my greatness, my health, my goodness* 
my children; yea, my life itself, thou shalt never 
take away my love, though thou kill me, yet will I 
trust in thee; Job xiii. 15. So that love is not only 
as strong as death, but stronger than death ; for love 
is the conqueror at last. 

Thirdly ; Another thing whereby she expresseth 
the strength of her love and affection to Christ, it is 
the grave, and this you have in Cant. viii. 6. Her 
love is cruel as the grave. The grave is the bed of 
darkness, which is always craving and never satis- 
fied, but devours all that comes. Christ tells us in 
John iv. 14, He that drinketh of the water that I 
shall give him, shall thirst no more. What, thirst 
no more! No more after the world, and world- 
ly things; but more and more after Christ and hea- 
ven. He that drinks of the water that I shall give 
him, shall thirst no more. No more after these low 
poor things, but more and more after Christ. 

No hungry man did ever with more appetite long 
for bread, nor a thirsty man long for water, nor a 
naked man for clothes, nor a covetous man for rick- 
es, nor a sick man for health, or a condemned man 
for pardon, than souls that are truly gracious do for 
Christ Jesus. My soul thirsteth for thee, saith 
David, in Psalm, xxxvi. 1. My soul thirsteth for 
thee ; Why, David, how doth your soul thirst for 
God ? Why ; he tells you in Psalm xlii. 1, As the 
hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my 
souLafter thee, O God. Now mark, sirs, the poor 



gj) THE KING OF K1N<^« 

hart which is hunieci by a^s U* nature is asil 
were all over in a flame, in a burning heat, and then 
it pants and thirsts, and is ready to die for water; 
now, says David, As the hart panteth after the ^ 
ter-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O Uo<*. 
O the vehement fire of David's thirst! and there- 
fore he tells you elsewhere, Whom have I m heav- 
en but thee? and there is none I desire on earth in 
comparison of thee, Psalm, lxxiii. 25. Do younot 
desire your wives, your children, your crown, your 
kingdoms? yea, these be desired in their places, but 
these were nothing in comparison of God. I re- 
member the saying of a martyr to one that asked 
him, if he did not love his wife and children when 
they wept by him ? Love them ? Yes, said he, if 
all the world were gold, and mine to dispose of, I 
would give it all to live with *thena, though it were 
in a prison: said he, in comparison of Christ, I 
love them not. 

Oh ! sirs, We must tread upon father, and run over 
mother to come to Christ. You know Peter to come 
to Christ, would go upon the bare water rather than 
fail, he went upon the sea to Christ : truly it was a 
dangerous passage ; but truly Peter bore up excel- 
lently well, while his faith bore up, but when his 
faith sunk, then Peter began to sink too. The world 
is called a sea, in Daniel, and in the Revelation, 
and we must go upon these waters to Christ, and be 
sure to keep up faith, and then you will hold out ; 
but if faith fail, you shall be sure to sink. O ! 
sirs* the believer's love is unsatisfied like the grave: 



THE KING OF KIJSGS. 



51 



none but Christ, none but Christ, bdiui the martyrj 
and as Augustine aith, O ! Lord, take away all, on* 
ly give me thyself. 

Fourthly, Love is compared to fire, and it hath 
a most vehement flame, Canticles viii 6. Now, be* 
loved, the saints 5 love to Christ, it is not only com- 
pared to fire, for its warming and heating ; but for 
its kindling, increasing, burning and flaming.—* 
Whilst I was musing, saith David, the fire burned, 
Psalm xxxix. 3. What fire? | Why, the fire in his 
heart, and not the fire on his hearth. And when the 
Apostles went to preach the gospel, the fire sat upon 
their tongues, in Acts ii. 3. 

Now beloved, as the saints' love is compared to 
fire in scripture ; so you shall find afflictions, perse- 
cutions, dangers, and these cruel things that accom- 
pany the poor saints in the world, are called waters 
and floods in Dan. ix. 5 Psalm lxix., and Matt, vii., 
But two scriptures that are more than ordinary, in 
Rev. xvii. 15, where they be called waters. The 
waters which thou sawest, where the whore sat, 
they be peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and 
tongues. The Spirit opens it to our hand : and you 
have another full scripture in Rev. xii. 14, where it 
is said there of the dragon, That he cast out much 

water like a flood after the woman. Now, what 

is this flood here ? why, this flood is bloody perse- 
cution and devilish persecutions. Now, beloved, 
how long hath the dragon been spuing out her water 
upon the church ; and wherefore is all this water 
thrown out? it is to quench the fire that I speak of; 



62 THE KING OP KINGS. 

but can they do it? No, alas ! they may spue till 
their eyes come out of their heads, and to no pur- 
pose, Cant. viii. 7. Many waters cannot quench 
love, neither can the floods drown it. All the bloody 
persecutions and afflictions cannot quench love : and 
therefore, let wicked men send forth as many floods 
as they will, it cannot drown the saints 5 love. All 
the water that Saul and his party threw after David 
did not quench his. No, saith he, though I walk 
through the valley of the shadow of death, yet will 
I fear no ill. Psalm xxiii. 4. David is not afraid 
to go by death's door. And all the waters that Her- 
od and the rulers threw after the Apostles could nev- 
er quench their love. 

Now, beloved, you will find after the Apostles 
were whipt soundly, they went away rejoicing, and 
rejoicing in this very thing, that they were account- 
ed worthy to suffer for Jesus Christ. And Heb. x. 
They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods. And 
saith Paul, in Romans viii. 35: Who shall sepa- 
rate us from the love of Christ ? shall tribulation, 
or distress, or persecution, or famine, and the like? 
Believe it, sirs, all these are trying things, and yet 
saith he, Who shall separate us from the love of 
Christ ? No, no, they cannot do it, there is noth- 
ing shall ever be able to separate us from the love of 
Christ: so that the believer's love is not made of 
such metal to be quenched by this flood, the saints 
are all on fire for Christ. And we find that great 
flood which Nero and Julian poured out upon the 
Primitive Christians, What, did it quench the fire? 



THE KING OP KINGS. 53 

I remember one of them said, saith he, Had I ten 
heads, they should all suffer for Christ. And an- 
other, saith he, If every hair of my head were a 
man, they should all suffer for Christ. Alas ! the 
poor christians catched their torments like so many 
crowns : and therefore the scripture tells you, that 
many waters cannot quench love. 

Now, beloved, put these four things together, and 
it is very clear, that the saints' love to Christ is ve- 
ry vehement and strong ; they will hang for him, 
they will burn for him, do anything for him, suffer 
the greatest torments, rather than he should lose the 
least dram of glory. But will you say, why do all 
Christ's subjects love him with this love. 

The reasons are two, First, Because he deserves 
it: Secondly, He commands it. 

First ; Christ deserves our love : why do we love 
him? — why? he deserves it at our hands, were it 
ten thousand times more than it is. Beloved, it was 
he that created us ; it is he that sanctified us; it is 
he that redeemed us, and loved us, it was he that 
changed our natures, and pardons our sin ; it was 
he that made our peace, and pacified his Father's 
wrath for us, satisfied his Father's justice for us, 
and wrought everlasting righteousness for us : it is 
he that bore our cross, that we might wear his crown. 
He waded through a sea of suffering for us, to bring 
pardon to our souls ; and doth not this Christ de- 
serve our love? O infinitely, infinitely, and truly, 
sirs, the more Christ hath done and suffered for us, 
the dearer should he be unto us. 



64 THE KING OF KINGS 

Secondly ; As Christ deserves our love, so he 
commands it: Christ commands us to love him 
above life, above wife, above relations. Christ will 
have it all, or none at all. Jesus Christ must weigh 
heavier than all relations in the balance of our affec- 
tion: he commanded to love him above all. 

Application. I now proceed to the application of 
all to ourselves, which is the third thing in order to 
be handled, and I shall make three uses of it. First, 
For consolation. Secondly, Examination. Third- 
ly, Exhortation. 

First of all, Is it so that Christ loves us with 
an everlasting and never dying love ? Why then, 
here is comfort for you who are his people. I speak 
only now to such. Comfort ye my people, saith 
God, Isai. xl. 1; and saith Christ, John xiv. Let 
not your hearts be troubled. Christ would not 
have his poor saints troubled ; and saith the Apos- 
tle, rejoice evermore, 1st Thess. v. 17. Alas, how 
can we rejoice when men villify us, when men re* 
proach us, abuse us, and persecute us, how can we 
rejoice? but do but hear what Christ saith, Matth. 
v. 11, Blessed are ye when men shall revile yea 
and persecute yon, and speak all manner of evil 
against you falsly for my name's sake. Mark, — 
Blessedness goeth in the first place, Blessed are ye 
when men shall revile you and persecute you, 

O sirs, It is a matter of blessedness, and there- 
fore be not cast down. You know what was said 
of old, In the world you shall have tribulation; but 
be of good cheer, I have overcome the world, John 



THE KING OP KINGS. 55 

xvi. last verse. O poor soul ! this is all the hell 
that ever thou shalt have, therefore be of good cheer; 
here thou hast thy bad things, thy good things are to 
come; here thou hast thy bitter things, but thy sweet 
things are to come; here thou hast thy prison, but 
thy palace is to come ; here thou hast thy rags, thy 
robes are to come : here thou hast thy sorrow, thy 
joy is to come ; here thou hast thy hell, thy heaven 
is to come ; after the cup of affliction, comes the cup 
of salvation ; the sweetness of the crown which 
shall be enjoyed, will make amends for the bitter- 
ness of the cross which was endured. 

One passing by a place where a cross lay on the 
ground, he caused it to be reared up, and found 
much riches and treasure under it. Oh, sirs, under 
the great troubles, lie your greatest treasures, pa- 
tience for sorrow ; the seed of sorrow on earth, shall 
reap a golden crop of joy in heaven ; they that sow 
holiness in the seed time of their lives, shall reap 
happiness in the harvest of eternity. Oh! sirs, 
never think to have an end of your sorrow, till there 
be an end of your sin. The apostle tells us, Our 
light affliction which is for a moment, worketh for 
us a far more exceeding and eternal weignt of glory. 
A dram of reproach to a weight of glory? O what 
is a short moment of pain to an eternity of pleas- 
ures? and therefore saints be of good cheer, here is 
comfort for you ; your best days are to come, you 
are subjects who a.-e beloved entirely, cordially, infi- 
nitely, with an undying love. 

Use 1, For the use of examination. 1. Is it so 



66 THE KING OF KINGS. 

that thesaintsMove to Christ is vehement and stroag? 
Why then, I beseech you examine, try and search 
yourselves, how do your pulses beat after Christ. O 
that you would examine yourselves, that you may 
know whose you are while you live, whither you 
shall go when you die, and what will become of you 
to eternity, Q ! sirs, are you sick of love ? do you 
love Christ? are you of Christ? for the Lord's 
^ake, sirs, examine, try and see whether you be sick 
of love to Christ. It is to be feared there be but 
few in the world sick of this disease. Many are 
sick for honors, that are but rattles to still men's 
ambitions ; many are sick for gold and silver, which 
is but a little shining dirt ; many men are sick for 
blood, who eat up the Lord's people like bread ; 
God will lay on them the hand of vengeance, who 
lay on his saints the hand of violence ; many arc 
sick with superstition, and the human traditions of 
men, which, instead of bringing their souls to hea- 
ven, will beguile them of heaven; alas! many are 
rick of their sufferings: who need to fear the cross, 
who are sure of the crown! but Q ! how few are 
there that are sick of love to Christ ! how many are 
there in this congregation that are sick of love to 
Christ! for the Lord's sake, do not deceive your- 
selves, you see the spouse was ready to swoon, faint 
and die tor Christ. 

Secondly; Her love was as strong as death ; nay, 
stronger than death ; is your love so ? O soul ! can 
thou endure a prison for Christ, burning for Christ, 
hanging for Christ, forsaking all for Christ? wilt 



THE KING OF KINGS. 67 

thou venture on the wave for Christy as Peter did? 
O sirs, for the Lord's sake, look to yourselves : there 
are many who profess love to Christ in words, but 
more than deny him in their works ; God was nev- 
er more in men's mouths, and never less in men's 
lives. Beloved, is your love like the grave, never 
satisfied ? Dost thou cry out more for Christ ? Oh, 
give me Christ and take the world who will. Is 
this flame in your souls ! For the Lord's sake try 
yourselves, deal cordially with your poor souls. 

Now, beloved, I have given you a taste of true 
sincere love, and blessed are they who cast their 
love into the sweet bosom of their Maker. 

Use 3. I shall now close all with a word of ex- 
hortation. Well, sirs, if I should preach here till 
to morrow-morning, what can I say more to make 
you love Christ ? he is most lovely, he is altogeth- 
er lovely. Therefore love Christ, love Christ, all 
causes of love are in him ; there may be particular 
causes of love in men and angels; but I say all caus- 
es of love are in Christ. O sirs, love Christ ; for 
if you do not, there is a dreadful curse pronounced 
against you ; there is no heaven, no happiness, no 
crown, without Christ ; for in him doth all fulness 
dwell, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge 
are in Christ, and the Father gives forth all his 
loving kindness through Christ. Beloved, is it not 
better swimming in the water-works of repentance, 
than burning in the fire-works of vengeance; one of 
them you must ; there is no coming to the fair ha. 
ven of glory, without sailing through the narrow 



58 the! king of kings. 

strait of repentance ; and say what you will, unless 
you believe in your Savior, your souls will be mis* 
erable for ever; and therefore consider of what I 
have said, and the Lord give you understanding in 
all things. Love Christ more than ever, more than 
all, and above all, and then you shall be happy for 
evermore. 



CANTICLES, V. XVI. 

Christ is a King, Priest and Prophet : a King for govern* 
ment and rule; a Priest for sacrifice and intercession; a 
Prophet for preaching and revealing the secrets of his Fath- 
er's bosom. 

Beloved, you know how far we proceeded the 
last Lord's day, I finished the first particular, where- 
in Jesus Christ, the King of kings, doth surmount 
and excel all other kings ; and it was thus, Jesus 
Christ loves all his subjects, and all his subjects love 
him ; and I showed you the wonderful love of Christ 
to his subjects, and his subjects 5 love him in many 
particulars. I now proceed to other particulars, 
wherein Christ excels the kings of the earth. 



THE KING OF KINGS. 69 

Seventhly ; Jesus Christ makes all his subjects; 
his subjects do not make him. By him were all 
things created that are in heaven and in earth. Col. 
i. -19. By him; by whom? by Jesus Christ, by 
Christ were all things created. He was in the 
world, and the world was made by him, and the 
world knew him not, John i. 10. — So in the 3rd 
verse, All things were made by him, and without 
him was nothing made. There was not any thing 
made without Christ, and all things were made by 
Christ. Beloved, Jesus Christ creates his subjects; 
he makes his subjects, and gives being to his sub- 
jects; in him we live, move, and have our being. 
He gives us a threefold being ; our first being in the 
state of nature, our second being in the state of- 
grace, and our third being in the state of glory.— 
This is the seventh thing wherein Jesus Christ excels 
all other kings, he makes his subjects which none 
else can do. 

Eightly ; Christ is the richest of all kings. O ! 
sirs, he is rich in love, he is rich in knowledge, rich 
in goodness, rich in wisdom, rich in grace, rich in 
glory. He is as rich as the Father himself; the 
riches of the De n, in him dwells the 

fulness of the So /, Col ii. 9. Mark, 

sirs, [:, mm - . Of what? why, 

of t but he dwells in 

. ingle 

:i&t ? s many 

>, or three 

mi riy crowns upc head. Rev, 



80 THE KING OF KINGS. 

xix. 12, His eyes were as a flame of fiirfe, and on 
his head were many crowns. Christ is richer than 
any king, nay, richer than all the kings in the 
world, for he is heir of all things, Heb. i. 8. He 
is the greatest heir in heaven and earth. 

The Spanish ambassador coming to see the trea- 
sure of St. Mark at Venis, which was so much 
cried up through the world for a famous treasury, 
he fell a groping of it, to find whether it had any 
bottom; and being asked the reason of it, he said, 
My great master's treasury differs from yours, in 
this, his has no bottom as yours hath, alluding to 
the mines of the Indies. But alas ! what is the 
proud Spaniard's treasure to Christ's treasure, and 
what are his mines to Christ's mines ! what are all 
the jewels, diamonds, crowns, and scepters of all 
the kings of the earth to Christ ? the whole Turkish 
empire, saith Luther, is but a crust that God throws 
to dogs, which is a great part of the world indeed ; 
but it is no mdr& than a bone, or a crust, which God 
throws to dogs. 0! sirs, Christ's riches are so 
many, they cannot be numbered; they are so pre- 
cious, they cannot be valued; so great, they cannot 
be measured. the infinite riches of our King; 
Christ is a mine of gold, which we must dig till 
We find heaven. 

Ninthly ; Christ excels all other kings in this 
too, he is a King whose power is absolute over all 
nations, and people, and kindreds, and tongues. 
Now, sirs, his will is a law; no man's will in the 
world is sufficient to be a law, but the will of our 
King is sufficient. 



THE KING OF KINGS. 61 

Tenthly ; Jesus Christ is a King that rules over 
the souls and consciences of men, over the wills 
and hearts of men ; other kings may rule over the 
estates of men, over the bodies of men, but not 
over their consciences. Now this is Christ's glory, 
which he will give to no other. Christ by his 
power, is able to subdue the wills of men and the 
hearts of men, though ever so stubborn and so stout 
before. All the power of the world cannot do this : 
if all the kings, princes and emperors of the world 
were put together, they are not able to subdue the 
heart of one poor man ; they may beat his body, 
afflict his body, torment his body ; but as for his 
heart, I say all the kings and potentates in the 
world, nay, all the angels in heaven, cannot subdue 
the heart of a poor sinner ; and this is the glory of 
Christ, that he can do this. Heart-work is God's 
work. The great heart-maker, must be the great 
heart-breaker. None can do it but he. 

Eleventhly ; Christ is a King that hath ao 
need of any instruments ; he makes use of them 
sometimes, but he needs not any ; alas ! sirs, what 
can the kings of the earth do without instruments ? 
how can they govern their kingdoms without instru- 
ments ? they must have this instrument here, and 
the other there, or else farewell crown and kingdom 
quickly. But Jesus Christ hath no need of any, 
he can do any thing by his own power. By him- 
self he destroyed Pharaoh and his great host in the 
Red sea, Exod. xix. By himself he overthrew 
Jericho, that great city 3 Josh. vi. By himself he 



62 THE KING OF KINGS. 

smote the great army of a thousand thousand men ; 
the greatest army that we ever read of. 2 Cor. xiv. 
By himself he overthrew Ammon and Moab, and 
Mount Seir, who warred against Judah. — This now 

he did himself. 

Secondly; See what he hath done by weak 
means : he smote the kings about Sodom, even by 
Abraham, and his poor family. Gen. xxiii. By 
weak means he overthrew that mighty army of the 
Midianites by Gideon's 300. Judg. vii. By weak 
means he destroyed great Goliath even by David, 
and great Sisera by a woman. — By weak means he 
destroyed a garrison of the Philistians, even by 
Jonathan and his armour-bearer. 1 Sam. xiv. 4. 
Now this he did by weak means, and much more. 

Now thirdly , See what he did contrary to means, 
why? contrary to means, he delivered the three 
children from burning, being in the fire. Dan. iii. 
Contrary to means, he delivered Jonah from drown- 
ing in the sea. Contrary to means, he delivered 
Daniel from being devoured, being in a den of li- 
ons. Contrary to means, he kept the Israelites from 
being drowned, being in the sea. 

I say he did this contrary to means. 

.■; .; you what he hath done by 

fcrarjr mean mssthat: so that you see 

King ha M of instruments, and there- 

e he wonde \i all others. 

Twelfthly ; Gtmst is a King who will overcome 

•ibdue all lies; yea, all our enemies, 

piritual and uporal, he will utterly over- 






THE KING OF KINGS. 63 

Our enemies are very many, and very mighty: 
high in power and high in pride, and we are very 
weak ; we may well speak in David's words, in 2 
Sam. iii. 29. Saith he, I am weak this day, though 
anointed king. How David, weak to-day, and yet 
made a king to-day ? Yes, said he, the sons of 
Zeruiah are too hard for me. Why, believers, you 
are all kings in a spiritual sense, you are kings, 
elected kings in a disguise ; but yet poor hearts you 
are weak, though you are kings elected : the sons 
of Zeruiah are too hard for you. 

Why? but sirs, Jesus Christ is a King of kings, 
a King above all kings, and over all kings, and he 
must reign till he has put all his enemies under his 
feet. Cor. xv. 25. Mark, He must reign, he must 
of necessity, God hath spoken it, till he has put all 
enemies under his feet; not only some, but all. 

Oh ! this is good news to saints, excellent news ; 
what king can do this but Christ? what king can 
put all his enemies under his feet? what earthly 
king can subdue all his enemies ? Alas ! they can- 
not subdue their own ; for the most flourishing 
kings that we read of, have fallen before their ene- 
mies for want of strength. Richard the III. cried 
out in his distress, A kingdom for a horse, a k 
dom for a horse ; and yet all this could noi sa 1 

j 

Alas ! alas ! the most flourishing kings ho 
so far from subduing their subjects enemies^ t 
they* cannot subdue their own; but Jesus Christ can 
subdue all his enemies; he hath power in heaven 



64 THE KING OF KINGS. 

and in earth given to him. Matt, xxviii. 18. So 
that if he speaks the word, all his energies are Over- 
thrown even in a moment. 

In the 13th place, Christ surmounts all other 
kings in this, he is a King that gives his subjects 
ihe richest and best gifts of any other king whatso- 
ever; in John x. 27. 28. My sheep, saith he, 
hear my voice and they know me, and they follow 
me, and I give them eternal life.- — The wise God, 
that he may invite and encourage poor sinners to 
holiness of life, rets before their eyes the recom- 
pense of reward ; that if the equity of his precepts 
do not prevail, the excellency of his promises may : 
he would fain catch men with a golden bait. 

Abraham's servant gave jewels of silver and jew- 
els of gold to Rebecca, that he might win her heart 
over to Isaac, in Gen. xxiv. 23. Oh ! the jewels, 
the excellent jewels that Christ gives to poor souls 
to win their hearts to him : Christ gives us richly, 
all things to enjoy; what can we desire more ? — 
1 Tim. vi. 

Alas ! the men of the earth give but poorly and 
penuriously, but Christ gives richly, Christ gives 
freely, no man in the world gives so freely as 
Christ : Christ gives frequently, every day, every 
hour he scattereth jewels to poor souls. The great 
king of Persia gave two of his courtiers, to the one 
a golden cup, to the other a kiss, and he that had 
the cup complained to the king, that his fellow's 
riss was better than his golden cup. Oh ! sirs, 
Christ does not put us off with a cup of gold, but 



THE KING OP KINGS. 65 

he gives the kiss ; he gives his best gifts to his be- 
loved ones, he gives his best love, his best joy, his 
best peace, his best mercies. Oh ! where is there 
a king like this King ! Alas ; earthly kings may 
give their titles, or a place in their court, and the 
like ; they may give a title to-day, and a halter to- 
morrow, as in the case of Haman ; he may smile 
to-day and frown to-morrow ; kiss to-day, and kill 
morrow ; "but Christ does not so, he gives the best 
of every thing, the best of his., love, his best blood, 
not the blood of his finger, but the blood of his 
heart. Oh, sirs, how far doth Christ excel all 
others, in giving to his subjects the best gifts! Oh 
sirs, what a gift is heaven ? what a gift is pardon 
of sin ? I wonder what king can give his people 
such gifts ; and herein the Lord Jesus excels all 
others. 

In the last place, Christ makes all his subject! 
free ; there is not one subject that he hath, but is a 
free man or woman. There are some things thai 
Christ frees from, and some things that he makes us 
free of; some things that he frees us from, and what 
are they ? why, that which if we were not freed 
from, would undo us to all eternity. 

First ; He frees us from the curse, the cursed 
curse ; if Christ had not freed us from the curse, 
we had lived cursedly, and died most cursedly, and 
been damned for ever ; but Jesus Christ hath freed 
us, in Gal. v, i, Stand fast, saith St. Paul, in the 
liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free. And 
in John iii. 6. If the son make you free, then you 



S6 the kinc; of kings. 

are free indeed. Again, he frees us from the guilt 
of sin ; our pride would damn us, had he not freed 
us from the guilt of sin ; but Christ frees his people 
from this. Again, he freed us from the power of 
the devil, in so much that the devil hath nothing to 
do with us, in Acts, xxv. And he frees us from 
the flames of hell, from the pit of hell ; Christ hath 
cut off the intail of hell and damnation. 1 Thess. 
i. He hath freed us from the wrath to come, that 
is, Christ hath freed us from the flames of hell. 

Again, Christ hath freed us from slavery, from 
bondage, from the yoke, in Gal. v. i. Stand fast 
in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free, 
and be not entangled in the yoke of bondage. We 
are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citi- 
zens with the saints, and with the household of 
God, in Eph. ii. 19. And Christ tells us himself, 
in Matt. xi. 30. My yoke is easy, and my burden 
is light.— Here we have burden upon burden, and 
yoke upon yoke ; but, saith Christ, my yoke is easy 
and my burden is light. Christ hath delivered ijs 
from slavery, we are not under the law but under 
grace ; these things we are free from. And there 
are other things that we are made free of, and that 
in heaven, we are all made free men and women of 
the New Jerusalem, and we trade there, and have 
as good right there as any other saints ; we are fel- 
low citizens, free men of heaven, net only of hea- 
ven, but of all the promises, and all the privileges 
that the saints enjov. 



THE KING OF KINGS. 67 

Now, is not this a wonderful mercy that our king 
hath done for us ; he hath freed us from all those 
miseries which would ruin us for ever, and madfe 
us free of all the excellent privileges whatsoever, 
which poor souls can enjoy. Now, Oh ! how far 
doth Christ excel all other kings, the rulers of the 
earth; they may perhaps lay heavy burdens upon 
the consciences of men, and bodies of men, and 
estates of men, but Christ lays no such burdens up- 
on us ; no, Christ hath made us free, and no peo- 
ple so free, because Christ hath freed us upon the 
cross. Christ bought it dear enough, it cost him 
his best blood, his noble blood. I might name 
more particulars, wherein Christ excels all other 
kings ; but I think these are very sufficient to de- 
monstrate it. 

Use. 1. I shall close up this head with a word 
of application, and so shall finish this second title, 
King of kings. 

First ; Is it so that Christ is a threefold King as 
I have shewed you, and is he a King that doth so far 
surmount all the kings of the earth? Oh! then, 
however the world goes, here is comfort for saints, 
that they have such a king. Oh ! what a mercy is 
this? What a comfort is this to the Lord's people, 
that Christ is a King above all kings, and over all 
kings, and must reign till he has put all his enemies 
under his feet ? All his enemies must be brought 
down and made his footstool. Now this should 
comfort tho r-eople of God, and teach them to wait 
Christ's leisure, and let him alone : some earthly 



68 THE KING OP KINGS. 

kings would do great matters, but they want power; 
but Christ wants no power ; for all power is give** 
him in heaven and in earth. Now sirs, did you 
really believe this, that the power is certainly given 
to Christ, certainly it would be a cordial to revive 
you in the worst times, and saddest of trials. He, 
who is our Savior: he who is our head, our brother, 
our friend, is King of Kings. Oh ! sirs, this doc- 
trine of Christ's kingly power, is a very sweet doc- 
trine to the members of Christ. And, I beseeh you, 
let these considerations which I have laid before 
you bear up your spirits . 

I have showed you with what an entire love 
Christ loves his subjects, he is King of Kings, and 
can do any thing without instruments, he needs none 
to help him to do his work ; he can, if he please, 
enable the most despicable creatures, as flies and 
frogs, catarpillers and grasshoppers, to do his works; 
therefore let these considerations take impression 
upon your souls. If a man should tell you, your 
brother or sister, beyond seas, were advanced to 
great honor, as Joseph, when he heard that his 
father was alive. Go, saith he, tell my father of 
all my glory and greatness in Egypt, for he will 
rejoice at it. 

Now I have told you a relation of Christ's king- 
ly power, and therefore let this quiet your spirits, 
Be still, saith the Lord, and know that I am God, 
Psalm, xlvj. 10, It is enough for you to know 
that I am God, and therefore be still, consider what 
I am. 



THE KING OP KINGS. 69 

Use. 2d By way of exhortation, I have one word 
to say to the saints, and another to the sinners. 

First To saints.-Ifit be so, that Christ is King 
of kings, and King above all kings, and over all 
kings. Oh! then you are the people of God, yoc 
are near and dear to him, upon whom, and in whom 
Christ is formed and stampt; Oh! that you would 
give all the glory, praise and honor to Christ, and 
study to a'dvanee his fame. He hath called us out 
of darkness, into his marvellous light, saith the 
Apostle, to show forth his praise. Oh, sirs, this 
should be our great endeavor. Oh, that you who 
pretend friendship and love to Christ would endeav- 
or in your places to advance Christ. 

Secondly ; A word or two to such as are none 
of the subjects of Christ. Let me exhort you to 
believe in Christ, embraoe him, receive him, to lay 
hold upon him, to be one with him, or else you will 
one day cry out as that king did in distress, Oh, a 
kingdom for a horse, a kingdom for a Christ. O 
thou wouldst give ten thousand worlds, if thou hadst 
them to give, for a part in Christ. Alas ! sinner, 
what is the season Christ is no more in thy esteem? 
Thou wilt part with Christ rather than part with 
thy swearing, drunkenness and filthiness. O, this 
is sad-, there is no other name under heaven whereby 
we can be saved. He is the desire of all nations 
and we can never be happy without him; and there-' 
fore, for the Lord's sake, sirs as you love your own 
souls, lay hold on him, that he may be the Savior 
of your souls, the joy of your hearts, and yonr all 



70 tHE JUNG 0^ KINGS. 

ia ail ; for the Lord's sake, sirs, consider of it* 
you that do yet stand out against Christ. Oh that 
I could but tempt you to Christ, Oh that I could 
prevail with you to love Christ, and to have strong 
desires after him. 

Alas ! sirs, if you do not believe and part with 
all your iniquities, you must part with Christ at 
last, and what a sad parting will that be, to part 
with God, Christ and heaven ? When thou wilt 
come to know what thou hast lost by hugging thy 
darling corruptions ; Oh what a sad condition it 
will be I — And therefore I beseech you, think of it 
in time, and believe in your Savior, that your souls 
may be saved in the day of Christ. 

; 



THE MIGHTY CJOD. 71 



THE MIGHTY GOD. ... 

He is altogether lovely. — Cant. 5 16. 

DOCTRINE:— That Jesus Christ is infinitely 
and superlatively lovely. 

I finished the second title which is given to 
Christ in scriptnre, King of Kings. I now proceed 
to a third and that is Mighty God. One of Christ's 
titles is, the Mighty God: you have it in Isai. ix. 
6. he is also called the Mighty God. 

Beloved, I have showed you from the second 
title that Christ is a King, a King above all Kings, 
and a King over all Kings, and the King of Kings, 
and that his laws are most equal, his subjects most 
happy, ; having no other tax laid upon them than 
love and fear. 

But now this title holdeth him forth, not only as 
a great King, but as a great God, before whom all 
Kings and Kingdoms are but as little drops, or 
small dust, Isai. xi. 15. From this title, the Mighty 
God, I shall lay down this proposition, that Jesus 
Christ is true and perfect God. That Jesus Christ 
is true and perfect God, that is the point I shall 
insist upon. 

There are two sorts of people in the world, that 
deny my doctrine, who deny the Deity of Jesus 



72 THE MIGHTY GOD. 

Christ, who say the second person of the Trinity 
is not God. 

First, the unbelieving Jews; if Christ had come 
as the Jews dreamed, as a great monarch, treading 
upon nothing but crowns and sceptres and the necks 
of kings, and had all the potentates of the earth to 
attend his train, I say had Christ come in this worldly 
glory, pomp, and power, then it may be, the Jews 
would have believed on him ; it may be then he 
should have been their God ; but, now beloved, 
because Christ came poorly and meanly, and made 
himself of no reputation, and took upon him the 
form of a servant, as the scripture saith, Phil. ii. 
7. He took none of his gallantry, none of his 
bravery upon him, but made himself of no reputa- 
tion; and therefore the Jews slighted him and dis- 
owned him. The Turks mock us at this day with 
our crucified God; Oh, say they, you worship a 
crucified God ; and some of the Heathens say, they 
would not believe in a hanged God. Oh blessed 
Jesus, thus art thou reproached and despised by the 
unbelieving world, because thou earnest poorly, 
and diedst shamefully for our sins! They who 
despise the death of the Lamb ; they who turn away 
their ears from hearing Christ's voice now, Christ 
will turn away his ears from hearing their cries 
then. 

Secondly, There be others that deny the Deity 
of Christ ; and there are some seditious ones in 
this nation, who say that Christ is but mere man, 
and every saint is as much God as Christ } and 



TKE MIGHT Y <i0D. 73 

further they say, that to equal Christ with God, is 
high blasphemy. They that will not own Christ 
at his first coming, Christ will not own them at his 
second coming; they that will not obey the truth of 
God revealed from heaven unto them, shall suffer 
the wrath of God revealed from heaven against 
them. 

Oh ye blasphemers, ye say, the son is not God, 
the Father saith, he is God ; now who speaks true, 
God or you ? let God be true and every man a liar. 
That it is so, I shall give you more clear proofs. 
Express scripture speaks it forth that Jesus Christ 
is true and perfect God, Tit. ii. 13. saith the 
Apostle there, looking for the blessed hope and 
glorious appearance of the great God. Mark, Christ 
is hear not only called God, but great God. Oh, 
saints, he that came from heaven to make us right- 
eous, will also come from heaven to make us glori- 
ous, looking for the blessed hope, and glorious 
appearing of Jesus Christ : not only so but (jhrist 
is also called mighty God ; nay, not only mighty 
God, but again, God blessed for ever. Christ is 
God blessed for ever, Rom. ix. 5. Not only blessed 
for ever, but the true God, 1 John iv. 20. Jesus 
Christ is there called the true God, not only the true 
God, but a God for ever and ever, Heb, 1. 8. 
Mark, there, unto the Son, he said, Thy throne is 
for ever and ever. 

The Father, he calls the Son God, himself, and 
therefore well may we. Unto the Son he said, 
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever. Thus 



74 THE MIGHTY GOB. 

you see the doctrine fully proved, that Jesus Christ 
is the true and perfect God. But beloved, because 
the Deity of Christ is so much questioned at this 
day, and this being one of the serious and chiefest 
points in divinity, therefore I shall give you some 
considerations, demonstrations, or arguments, to for- 
tify you against this great error before named. 
First, That Jesus Christ is the true ..God, he is for 
time, co-eternal, for nature, co-essential ; for digni- 
ty, co-equal with his father. 

First, For time, co-eternal, John. xvii. 5, O 
Father, glorify thou me with thyself, with the 
glory which I had with thee before the world was. 
You see here sirs, Christ was before the world was, 
Christ w a s from everlasting, from the beginning, 
Prov. viii. .23, Speaking concerning Christ, I was 
set up from everlasting, from the beginning, before 
ever the earth was. And therefore Christ is called 
the everlasting Father, Isa. ix. 6. So in Rev. 1. 8. 
Christ there speaking of himself, saith he, I am 
Alpha and Omega, the beginning, and the ending, 
which was, and is, and is to come, the Almighty. 
Mark, sirs, Christ is the same before time, in time, 
and after time ; which was, and is, and is„to come. 
Now beloved, none can be eternal but God ; but 
Christ is eternal, and therefore he is God, and co- 
eternal with his Father* 

Secondly, He is for nature, co-essential : I and 
my Father are one, saith Christ, John. x. 30. 
There are three that bear record in heaven, the 
Father, the Word, and the Spirit, and these three 



THK MIGHTY GOD. 76 

are one. Mark, here, they are one, John. xiv. 8. 
When Philip desires to see the Father, Shew us 
the Father, and it is enough ; saith Christ In the 
9th and 10th verses, He that hath seen me, hath seen 
the Father. How so? for I am in the Father, and 
the Father is in me. So that you see Christ is 
more than mere man : he is one with the Father. 
Oh sirs, he is. Theanthropos, God man, If you 
make the son mere man, you must make the Father 
so too. 

Thirdlg, He is, for dignity, co-equal with the 
Father, Phil. ii. 6. Who being in the form of 
God, thought it no robbery to equal with the Father. 
Christ thought it no diminution of his Father's glory 
to be equal with the Father in glory. And you 
shall further find, that all the honor which belongs 
to God, the Father hath commanded us to give it to 
the Son. You have a full text, John, v. 23. That 
all men should honor the Son, even as they ho- 
nour the Father ; for he that honoreth not the Son 
honoreth not the Father. Therefore it is clear to 
every eye that Christ is for dignity co-equal with 
the Father; for the Father hath commanded us t 
give the same honor to Christ which is due to him : 
so that it is no blasphemy at all, certainly, to equal 
Christ with God, for in him are riches of the Deity, 
and the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily in 
him; as you may see Col. ii. 9. This is the first 
argument. He is for time, co-eterna], for nature, 
co-essential, for dignity, co-equal with the Father. 

Secondly, I shall lay down this argument, to 



78< THE MIGHTY GOD. 

prove the Deity of Jesus Christ ; consider trie work 
of creation ; surely he that made heaven and earth 
must needs be a God, you will yield to this; saith 
the Lord himself. All the Gods that have not 
made heaven and earth, shall perish from the earth, 
and from under heaven, Jer. x. 11. But now, belov- 
ed, Jesus Christ made the heavens and the earth, 
and ail things therein, therefore he is God ; see a 
few scriptures for this, John, i. 3. All things 
where made by him ; mark, this is by Christ, all 
all things where made by him, and without him, 
was not any thing made that was made, Col. i. 19. 
By him where all things created in heaven and in 
earth, visible and invisible, all things where by him 
and for him. So again, John, i. 10. He was in 
the world, and the world was made by him, and 
the world knew him not. Now, beloved, had Christ 
been less than God, he could not have made heaven 
and earth, and therefore he is God of glory, the 
great God that now sits upon the throne ; for he 
created the heavens and the earth and all things 
therein. 

Thirdly. That Christ is true and perfect God, 
appears, if you consider the worts and miracles 
which he did in the days of his flesh ; here is ano- 
ther unanswerable argument to prove the Godhead 
of Jesus Christ. The winds and the seas obey 
him ; the devils came out of the possessed, the blind 
received their sight, the lame walked, and the deaf 
heard, the dumb spake, lepers were cleansed, the 
dead were raised, the sick were healed. Oh, who 



THE MIGHTY GOD. 77 

could do this but God, as you may see, Matth. xxi. 
5. But you may say, the Apostles did great mira- 
cles, and yet were not gods ; why, it is true they 
did great miracles ; but in whose name did they do 
them? Was it in their own names, and by their 
own power? No, beloved, they themselves confess 
the contrary, Acts iv. 10; they tell you, it is not in 
their own power, but in the name and power of Je- 
sus Christ. So that beloved, this is a strong argu- 
ment to prove the Deity of Christ; they did great 
miracles in his name, and by his power his disci- 
ples did great miracles. And with this Jesus sat- 
isfied the disciples of John; Go and tell what things 
ye hear and see, how the lame walk, and the blind 
receive their sight ; go and tell John. Now, I say, 
these great things could be done by none but by a 
great God ; and therefore Jesus Christ is not only 
the Son of man, but the Son of God, even God 
blessed for ever. 

But Fourthly ; consider divine worship is due 
unto Christ. Now you know, worship is proper 
only to God. Worship him that made heaven and* 
earth, and the sea, said the angel, Rev. xiv. 7. 
Worship only is proper to God alone. Now be- 
loved, all the acts of worship that belong to God 
the Father, are given to the Son Jesus Christ, both 
angels and men are commanded to worship him, as 
well as we, Heb. i. 6. Let all the angels of God 
worship him : and in Phil. ii. 10 ; that at.t'he name 
of Jesus every knee should bow, both of things 
in heaven and on earth ; mark, sirs, things in heaveo 



78 THE MIGHTY GOD. 

as well as things on earth, must worship Christ; 
and Christ himself saith, John xiv. 1 ; Ye be- 
lieve in God, believe also in me. Mark, sirs, speak- 
ing of those that believe in God, saith he, Ye be- 
lieve in God, believe also in me. Now, beloved, 
we are commanded to pray to Christ, to glorify and 
believe in, and honor and worship Him ; and there- 
fore the saints have prayed. Lord Jesus receive our 
spirits, as Stephen did. So you see worship is due 
to Christ, both from angels and men, and therefore 
he must needs be God. 

Fifthly ; There be clear evidence of the coming 
of Christ under the old testament. No sooner was 
man fallen, but Christ was promised. The seed 
of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head. All 
the prophets foretold of the Messiah, Isaiah, Jere- 
miah, Hosea, Daniel, Malachi, and the rest of them, 
how falsly he should be accused, and how basely 
he should be used, and this will be enough to con- 
demn the unbelieving Jews, and make them speech- 
less in the great day of accounts. I might give you 
the sayings of the same prophets, but you may find 
them yourselves ; search the old testament and you 
shall find them all speak more or less of Jesus Christ. 
Thus I have clearly proved by express scripture, 
and undeniable arguments, that Jesus Christ is true 
and perfect God. 1 proceed to the use and appli- 
cation of it to ourselves. 

Use. The first use shall be for information: if 
it be so that Jesus is the true and perfect God ; then, 
though this be a strange truth to some, yet it is a 



THE MIGHTYGOD. JS 

round truth; though the mystery be deep; yet. the 
divinity is true, that he who made man, became 
m.an, suffered by man, and for man. Without con- 
troversy, saith the apostle, great is the mystery of 
godliness ; what is the matter? God manifested in 
the flesh, 1 Tim. iii. 16. Without controversy, 
without all doubt, a great mystery, saith the apostle, 
God manifested in the flesh. 

The schoolmen compare the incarnation of Jesus 
Christ to a garment made by the three sisters, and 
one of them wears it : so all the three persons in 
the Trinity had a hand in the garment of Christ's 
flesh, but the second person he wore it ; he was God 
manifested in the flesh $ and this is a great mystery. 
And truly, sirs, it is a great mystery for happiness 
to become a curse, Gal. iii. For him that made 
the angels, to become lower than the angels, Heb. 
ii. For the Creator to become a creature ; for him 
that had the riches of all in him, to become poor ; 
Oh ! this is a great mystery, that he whom the 
heaven of heavens cannot contain, his glory should 
be wrapt up in the rags of flesh ; that the great God 
should take upon him a piece of earth ; that he who 
hangs the earth upon nothing, should hang upon the 
cross between two thieves, truly a great mystery : 
that he who rules the stars, should suck the breasts; 
that he who thunders in the clouds, should be cra- 
dled in a manger. Oh ! a great mystery, that Abra- 
ham's Lord should become Abraham's son ; that 
t.he God of Abraham should take upon him Abra- 
ham's seed; what a mystery is this? he was con- 



6Q THE MIGHTY GOD. 

ceived in the bowels of his mother, that he might 
be received into the bosom of his Father. There- 
fore, saith the apostle, without controversy, great 
is the mystery of godliness, God manifested in the 
flesh. God's Son became man's son, that we poor 
man's sons might become God's sons. 

But secondly ; is Jesus Christ true and perfect 
God? My second inference is this, That Jesus is 
a precions Guest; he is honey in the mouth, beauty 
in the eye, joy in the heart, ar>d music in the ear. 
Let all their money perish with them, who esteem 
all the gold in the world worth one day's society 
with Jesus Christ, said a great marquis when he was 
tempted with money. 

Oh! sirs, Christ's members are the happiest, 
Christ's comforts are the sweetest, Christ's reward 
is the highest, Christ's precepts are the purest, 
Christ's glory is the greatest, Christ's love is the 
truest, Christ's riches are the most precious, he is 
the glory of God, the paradise of angels, the beauty 
of heaven, the redeemer of men; in Heb.i. 3, he is 
there called the brightness of his Father's glory ; he 
is the rich jewel in the cabinet of glory, he is the 
sparkling pearl, whosoever hath him cannot be poor, 
but whosoever wants him cannot be rich. 

Thirdly ; if Christ be true and perfect God, then 
his members are the greatest and happiest ; if Christ 
is God Almighty's only Son, believers are God Al- 
mighty's only daughters. You read of God's 
daughters in Psalm, xlv., Christ is the King, be- 
lievers are the queen ; Christ is the bridegroom, bo- 



THE MIGHTY GOD. 81 

lievers are the bride ; Christ is the Lamb, believers 
are his wife, Rev. xxi. 9. What shall I say? the 
angels in glory are in a very glorious state, and yet 
let me tell you, believers in Christ be higher than 
angels ; they are servants, we are members ; they be 
the iriends of the bridegroom, we are the bride; 
they have their personal glory, we have the same 
glory for substance with Jesus Christ, John xvii. 
22 ; the glory which thou hast given me, saith 
Christ, I have given them. Believers be nearer the 
throne than angels; and this doth wonderfully 
speak out that we are higher than the angels. In 
Rev. v., The four beasts are nearer the throne than 
the angels. 

O ! beloved, how are believers advanced ! how 
high are we become, poor dust and ashes to be 
above angels ! and this is the greatest happiness 
which we get by Christ's assuming our nature for 
the salvation of our souls. 

Again. Christ's members be not only the great- 
est, but the happiest ; our renewed condition is as 
good in Christ, as it was bad in Adam. Oh, sirs, 
we were no more cursed out of Christ, than we 
were blessed in Christ ; Christ is as full of life as 
Adam was full of death ; Christ is as full of sweet* 
ness to us as Adam was of bitterness to us. Truly, 
soul, if thou say Christ is thine, I will speak next 
and say, Soul thou hast that which is worth more 
than a king's ransom ; that w 7 hich is worth more than 
all that which the devil promised Christ, when he 
showed him all the kingdoms of the world. Oh! 



OSS THE MIGHTY GOD, 

the happiness of poor believers ! There is no con- 
demnation to them that are in. Christ Jesus, saith 
Paul, Rom. viii. 1. Therefore they are happy. 

But Fourthly ; Christ Jesus is true and perfect 
God. Then we infer from hence, that God's love 
and good will to mankind was very great. That 
Jesus Christ should come from heaven to take our 
nature, that we might be partakers of the divine na- 
ture ; Christ took upon him our shame, that we might 
be partakers of his glory. One drop of his blood 
is worth a sea of ours, and yet he died our death 
that we might live his life ; he suffered our hell, that 
we might enjoy his heaven. Oh ! how infinitely 
did he love us ! He endured the sorest pains, that 
we might enjoy the sweetest pleasures. The scrip- 
ture tells, that he carne leaping, he came with such 
a good will, he came leaping ; as you know when 
a man goes leaping, you may know that it is with 
a good will ; he came leaping and skipping, Cant. 
ii. 8 ; he came leaping upon the mountains, and 
skipping upon the hills. Leaping, saith Gregory, 
how 7 so ? Why, saith he, from the throne to the 
womb, from the womb to the cradle, from the cra- 
dle to the cross, and from thence to the throne again, 
this was his leap. Oh ! sirs, oh ! sirs, how much 
did this Jesus suffer for poor believers ! he was 
hanged upon the cross on mount Calvary, that he 
might sit on the throne in mount Sion. 

Use, Secondly, by way of exhortation; 1st. 
To sinners, to unbelievers, to graceless persons, I 
have a few words to say. Oh ! sirs. Oh ! sirs, " 



THE MIGHTY GOD. 83 

methinks I cannot but do towards you as Christ did 
once toward Jerusalem, when he came near the city, 
he wept over it. Truly, sinner, your state is a weep- 
ing state ; your state is a miserable state ; you lie 
open to all the wrath, all the vengeance, all the cur- 
ses under heaven. O poor miserable sinners can- 
not you pity yourselves ? The Lord of heaven 
pity you. Did Jesus Christ come from heaven to 
you sinners, and will not you come out of your sin, 
to come to Christ? Did Christ come from his Fa- 
ther's bosom, his throne and crown, and all his 
glory, to come to a poor lost world, and to die and 
suffer here for lost sinners; and what sinners, will 
this make no impression upon you? Let me tell- 
you, sirs, Christ came into the world, for no other 
end and reason, but only to die for poor sinners. It 
was the great design of Christ to save poor sinners. 
Sirs, if you will not credit me, look into the scrip- 
ture, and then surely you will believe it, 1 Tim. i. 
16. This is a faithful saying, saith the Apostle, 
and worthy of all acception, that Jesus Christ 
came into the world to save sinners. Mark, sirs, 
he came into the world to save sinners. Christ 
hanged upon the cross, wept upon the cross, and 
died upon the cross, to save sinners ; it was for poor 
sinners all the hardships, all the wants, all the tri- 
als and sufferings which he met with ; it was for 
the sake of poor sinners. Christ hath suffered all 
this woe and misery for thee ; and wilt not thou 
leave thy swearing, thy drunkenness, and thy wick- 
edness, for Christ? O ! the sad day that is coming 



84 THE MIGHTY GOD. 

on thee ! how canst thou answer this before God 
Almighty, that Jesus Chris* the King of kings, 
should come into the world, and abase himself so 
much as to be in a mean state, and yet that this 
should nothing affect you? O ! who will pity you 
when you are damned, when you are howling and 
roaring in hell, that would not pity yourselves? 
Oh ! for the Lord's sake, consider that God should 
come and take our rags, that we mi.g\ht wear his 
robes : and why will you rather remain in your sins, 
and die, than come to Christ for life ? O ! sinner, 
•for the Lord's sake put off your beggar rags, that 
you may put on his lovely robes. 

I have read of Alexander the Great, that when 
he came against a city, he used to set up a candle, 
and if they yielded before the candle was out, they 
should have quarters, but if they stood out, they 
might expect nothing but hanging, drawing and 
quartering. O ! sirs, Christ sets up a candle to 
thee, and if thou will come in to-day, thou shalt 
have mercy, or else there will be none. If all the 
angels and saints in heaven should fall upon their 
knees, and say, Oh! Lord, spare this poor crea- 
ture, one dram of mercy for him, it would not be 
regarded, the Lord will not hear them ; and there- 
fore, for the Lord's sake consider men are senten- 
ced, not only for their sinfulness, but for their sloth- 
fulness ; men may perish for being servants that are 
unprofitable, as well as for sinners that are abomi- 
nable. Methinks you should take as much delight 
in those precepts that join holiness, as in those 



THE MIGHTY GOD. 85 

promises that assure happiness; if the day of mercy- 
leave you graceless, the day of judgment will find 
you speechless; though you may resist the judg- 
ment that he lays before you, yet you can never 
resist the judgment that he lays upon you ; there is 
no standing before Christ, but by standing in Christ. 
Ungodly men fear no wrath, because they feel no 
wrath; because the sin is unpunished, they think 
there is no punishment for their sins; because he 
goeth on to spare them, they go on to provoke him ; 
as he adds to their lives, they add to their lusts : 
because he is very merciful, they will be very sinful ; 
because he is very good, they will be very bad ; 
because justice winks, men think he is blind; be- 
cause he doth not reprove them for their sins, they 
think he doth approve them in their sins. Justice 
will avenge the quarrel of abused mercy: the lon- 
ger God forbears, not finding amendment, the sorer 
he strikes when he comes to judgment. 

Oh, sinners, though the patience of God be last- 
ing, it is not everlasting; if by the warning piece 
of God, you are not alarmed, you shall be con- 
sumed; the longer God is fetching about his hand, 
the heavier will be the blow when it comes. I 
gave her space to repent of her fornication, but she 
repented not; w T hat follows? behold I will cast her 
into a bed, and that they commit adultery with her, 
Rev. ii. 21, 22. The day that begins in mercy 
may end in judgment. God is silent so long as our 
sins will let him be quiet; but know, that God hath 
vials of wrath filled with indignation, lor vessels of 



86 THE MIGHTY GOB. 

wrath fitted for destruction, if God's mercy do not 
draw you to repentance, God's judgments will drive 
you to destruction; the sea of damnation shall not 
be sweetened with a drop of compassion. 

Oh, sinners, either seek out a Savior to deliver 
you from the wrath of God, or else find out a shoul- 
der to bear you up under the wrath of God. Oh, 
that you would consider your ways, hath not God 
said, that no swearer, nor drunkard, nor whoremon- 
ger, nor adulterer, shall enter into the kingdom of 
heaven? and such are some of you; God knows it, 
and your own consciences know it; and yet you 
flatter yourselves, and speak peace to yourselves, 
when God speaks not a word of peace to you. O! 
sinners, think of this before the bottomless pit hath 
shut her mouth upon you : Oh, do no longer forget 
God and your own salvation, Hebrews ii. 3. How 
shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? 
If you neglect the great salvation, you cannot es- 
cape the great damnation. 

Secondly ; Believers, let me beseech you to 
stand fast, and to hold fast that which you have al- 
ready, Rev. ii. 19. Be thou faithful unto death, 
and I will give thee a crown of life. He hath a 
crown for runners, but a curse for runaways. As 
you look for happiness as long as God hath a being 
In heaven ; so God looketh for holiness as long as 
you have a being on earth. As many as walk ac- 
cording to this rule, peace be on them, Gal. vi. 16. 
To tread in any other path on earth, it is but to 
mistake your waj^ to heaven: whilst yen are on this 



THE MIGHTY QOD. 87 

side of eternity, you must hold the sceptre of grace 
in your hands, till God set the crown of glory upon 
your head: this is the sparkling diamond that is set 
in the Apostle's crown, 2d Tim. iv. 7. I have 
fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I 
have kept the faith. Oh, believer ! it will be your 
happiness, your glory, your honor another day, if 
in this day you be found faithful. Oh ! do not 
turn your backs upon the truths of God, as too ma- 
ny in our days have done; they have gone from one 
religion unto all, till at last they have come from 
Ril religions unto none : that man's beginning was 
**i hypocrisy, whose end is apostacy : indifferency 
n religion is the next step to apostacy from religion. 

O ! do not make him a stone of stumbling, that 
God hath made a stone for building: if the golden 
chain of duty will not hold you, the iron chain of 
darkness shall bind you; if you abuse your liberty 
in one world, you will lose your liberty in another; 
if you had made as much conscience in your liber- 
ty as you have had liberty for your conscience, it 
had been well. That soul was never related to 
Christ that was never devoted to Christ; there is no 
obtaining the prize of happiness without running 
the race of holiness. 

O ! for the Lord's sake do not you begin in the 
Spirit, and end in the flesh. O do not put your 
hand to the plough and look backward; be not true 
to the father of lies, and false to the God of truth; 
keep close to the Son of God, to the word of God, 
to the ordinances of God, to the day of God, to 



88 THE KING OF KINGS. 

the people of God, and thou wilt be safe. Gal. vi. 
9. Be not weary in well-doing, for in due season, 
you shall reap, if you faint not. I shall wind up 
all with that saying of Ignatius, " They that adhere 
to them that adhere not to the truth, shall never en- 
ter the kingdom of God." 



THE EVERLASTING FATHER. 89 

THE EVERLASTING FATHER. 

He is altogether lovely.- — Cant. 5 16. 

DOCTRISTE.- -That Jesus -Christ is infinitely 
and superlatively lovely. 

Man is the excellency of the creature, the saint 
is the excellency of the man, grace is the excellen- 
cy of the saint, glory is the excellency of grace. 

I now proceed to the fourth title, and that is. Ev- 
erlasting Father; for this see Isa. ix. 6. 

Beloved, we have showed you from the third ti- 
tle, Mighty God, that Jesus Christ is true and per- 
fect God, mighty with God, mighty as God, the 
great and mighty God; but now this fourth title 
holdeth him forth to be a Father ; not only a Fa- 
ther, but an everlasting Father ! the everlasting Fa- 
ther. 

The proposition which I shall lay down from the 
title is this, That God in Christ is a believer's Ev- 
erlasting Father. That I may clear up this point I 
shall lay down these truths. 

First : That God in Christ the everlasting Fa- 
ther begot himself in us, and us in him; he is both 
the author and finisher of our faith, Heb. xii. 2. — 
Of all our joy, of all our peace, of all our life, of 
all our salvation: he is a Father ever begetting and 
bringing forth himself unto us ; his light is in us ? 



90 THE EVERLASTING FATHER* 

his love is in us, his nature is in us, his wisdom is 
in us, his power and strength is in us: of his fulness 
we all have received grace for grace, John i. 16. — 
We believers, that were in time past, we in time 
present, in time to come ; we that were, we that 
are, we that shall be hereafter, shall receive his 
fulness. Aad therefore he is called The Everlast- 
ing Father. 

He is the sun, we are the beams; he is the foun- 
tain, we are the streams; he is the root, we are the 
branches; he is the head, we are the members; he is 
the Father, we are the children. And hence it is v , 
that believers are called his offspring : We are the 
offspring of God, saith the apostle. 

In creation God hath given us to ourselves, but 
in redemption he hath given himself to us; it is a 
greater favor to be converted, than to be created; 
yea, far better to have no being, than not to have a 
new being; it is only the new creatures that are heirs 
of the New Jerusalem. 

Secondly i God in Christ calleth all his children 
by his name, — he putteth his name upon them. 

Do you mark, sirs, I will write upon them the 
name of my God, in Rev. iii. 12. The saints are 
called godly from God ; Christians from Christ ; 
spiritual from the Spirit ; and heavenly from Heav- 
en, because their conversation is there, because their 
Head is there, and they b$ the heirs of heaven. So 
the wicked be called devilish, from the devil ; and 
the cursed, from the curses ; and worldlings, from 



THE EVERLASTINGS FATHER. 91 

the world; and sinners, from sin. O the great dif- 
ference that there is between the names of the saints 
and the names of the wicked. The ungodly be 
called dogs, vipers, swine, thorns, and ravening 
wolves, who lick up and suck the blood of the in- 
nocent; but the saints they are. called jewels, treas- 
ures, kings, doves, lilies, and heirs of the kingdom 
of glory; and hence it is, that some good men have 
gloried more, in their name Christian than in their 
name Emperor; and have thought it a greater hon- 
or to be a member of Christ than to be a king upon 
a throne; a greater honor to be one of Christ's lit- 
tle ones, than one of the world's great ones. In- 
deed, sirs, a good heart is better than a great estate; 
inward holiness is better than outward happiness : 
a Christ without honor is better than honor without 
Christ; piety without prosperity is better than pros- 
perity without piety: goodness without greatness is 
better than greatness without goodness. This is 
the second. 

Thirdly. God in Christ is a Father who is ten- 
der and full of bowels towards his poor children : 
when we were full of blood, than he was full of 
bowels: Christ is more tender of his body mystical 
thay he was of his body natural; he suffered his 
body natural to be hungry, to be thirsty, to be wea- 
ry, to hang upon the cross, to bleed upon the cross, 
to suffer upon the cross, to be pierced and bored with 
nails upon the cross. O, he went through the fur- 
nace, to keep us out of the flame 



92 THE EVERLASTING FATHER. 

But now mark, sirs, for his body mystical. O 
how tender is he ! he loves them, he pities them, he 
smiles upon them, he carries them in his bosom, 
and dandies them on his knees. O they are the 
beauty of his eyes, the joy of his heart; he cannot 
endure too see them wronged, to see them injured or 
abused, every blow they get goes to his very heart; 
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ? you see how 
tender Christ is of his body mystical. This is our 
Jonah, who threw himself into the sea of his Fa- 
ther's wrath, to save us from drowning. He hath 
shut the door of hell, to save us from perdition, 
and he hath opened the gates of heaven, to let us 
into salvation. This is the third. 

Fourthly, God in Christ is a Father that layeth 
up for his children: he gives them something in 
possession, but more in reversion, a little in hand, 
and a great deal in hope. 

First, He gives them something in hand: he lay- 
eth out for us, he giveth us the air to breathe in, and 
the earth to tread upon; he gives us the sun, the 
moon and stars, wind, water and fire: he giveth us 
the fishes of the sea, the beast's of the earth, and 
the fowls of the air. Poor man liveth by death; 
our natural life is preserved by the death of the 
creature, and our spiritual life by the death of our 
Savior; so that I may say, we live by death. It is 
man's duty to serve God, since God hath made all 
the world to serve him; in 1st. Tim. vi. 17, saith 
the Apostle, Who giveth us all things richly to en- 
joy. Mark, he doth not only give us some things^ 



THE EVERLASTING FATHER. #3 

but all things; not only all things, but all things rich- 
ly to enjoy 

Secondly, God in Christ is a Father that layeth 
up for his children, as well as layeth out, in Psalm 
xxxi. 19, O how great is thy goodness that thou 
hast laid up for them that fear thee ! David won- 
ders at it, O how great is thy goodness which thou 
hast laid up! Mark the words so, in 2d Tim. iv. 8. 
Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteous- 
ness. What, only for you Paul ? No, not only 
for me, but for all them that love his appearing. So 
again, see another scripture for this, 1st Cor. ii. 9, 
As it is written, saith the Apostle, Eye hath not 
seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the 
heart of man to conceive. Why, sirs, what is this 
which the eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither 
can it enter into the heart of man to conceive !— 
Why, mark, The things that God hath prepared for 
them that fear him. O beloved, God gives his 
children the best portion, the richest portion, the 
greatest portion : all things be theirs, life is theirs, 
death is theirs, things present are theirs, and things 
to come are theirs, God is theirs, Christ is theirs, 
the Spirit is theirs, heaven is theirs, and what can 
they have more? In 1st Cor. xxii. 23, God gives 
his children in this world a talent of grace, and in 
the world to come, a talent of glory: they shall 
wear Christ's crown above, who wear his cross 
here- below. 

Fifthly, God in Christ doth protect and defend 
his children from their enemies, and from Satan, 



94 THE EVERLASTING FATHER. 

from sin, from the world, from the curse, and from 
the seeond death, which is heli, in Rev. ii. 11. He 
that .overcometh shall not be hart by the second 
death. Mark, a believer may feel the stroke of 
death, but he shall never feel the sting of death; the 
first death may bring his body to corruption, but 
the second death shall never bring his soul to dam- 
nation; though he may live a life that is dying, he 
shall not die a death that is living: he that is housed 
in Christ, shall never be housed in hell. God pro- 
tects his children from all wrongs and injuries, in 
Psalm lxxxv. 14. He suffers no man to do them 
wrong; yea, he reproves kings for their sakes.— • 
Pray, mark the phrase well : sirs, if kings will lay 
on saints the hands of violence, God will lay on 
kings the hands of vengeance. He reproves kings 
for their sakes: if kings will wrong the poor saints 
for Christ's sake, Christ will reprove kings for the 
saints 5 sake ; so saith the word of God, They that 
be gods before men, be but men before God. If 
men will throw saints into prison for their piety, 
God will throw them into hell for their iniquity. 
Mark what the prophet saith, in Isai. xxx, 31. pray 
mark the phrase, Tophet is ordained of old, yea, 
for the king it is prepared; and if so be the prophet 
should speak so downright, as though hell were 
chiefly prepared for great men. 

Oh sirs, hell is prepared for great men as well as 
mean. Those to whom God bestows great mer- 
cies, if they abound in great vice, God will inflict 
great punishment. How shall they be able to lift 



THE EVERLASTING FATHER. 06 

up their heads before Christ, who do lift up their 
heads against him ? The kings of the earth stood 
up, and the rulers were gathered together against 
the Lord, and against his Christ, Acts iv. 20. — 
Christ will pass a sentence upon every sentence that 
is past. He that saith, Come ye blessed, will also 
say, Go ye cursed. This is the fifth. 

Sixthly, God in Christ is a father that teacheth 
his children, and instructs his children: Thy chil- 
dren shall be taught of the Lord, Isai. liv. 13. All 
God's children shall be taught of God; God teach- 
eth all his children, and what doth he teach them. 
Why among other things, he teacheth his children 
these six lessons. 

First, He teacheth them to deny themselves. A 
true believer will lay down his Justs at the com- 
mand of Christ, and his life for the sake of Christ. 
Secondly, Christ teacheth them contentment. — 
Here is another divine lesson which Christ teach- 
eth his children. A believer will be contented to 
bear the wrath of man for him who bore the wrath 
of God for him. 

Thirdly, The vanity of the creature. He teach- 
eth us, that all things below are vanity, and vexa- 
tion of spirit. 

A fourth thing, is the sinfulness of sin. 
Fifthly, The deceitfuiness of the heart. 
Sixthly, The right knowledge of himself. 
O Christians, have you learned these lessons? — 
Then let all your actions be Christ-like, and walk 
as you have him for an example : he lived to teach 



96 THE EVERLASTING FATHES. 

us how to live, and he died to teach us how to die; 
he that will not follow the example of Christ's life, 
shall never be saved by the merits of his death; as 
he is a root on which a saint grows; so he is the 
rule by which a saint squares: if he be not thy Ja- 
cob's staff to guide thee to heaven, he will never be 
thy Jacob's ladder to mount thee up to heaven.— 
We should be as willing to be ruled by Christ, as 
we are willing to be saved by Christ. God made 
one Son like to all, that he might make all his sons 
like to one. If the life of Christ be not your por- 
tion. This is the sixth. 

Seventhly, God in Christ is a Father that stamps 
upon all his children the lovely image of Jesus 
Christ, they resemble him to the very life ; as was 
said of Constantine's children, they resembled their 
father to the life. So we may say of believers, 
they resemble Christ to the life; God will suffer no 
man to wear the livery of Christ upon him, who 
hath not the liieness of Christ within him, 2d Cor. 
iii. 18. We all, saith the Apostle, beholding with 
an open face as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are 
changed into the same image, from glory to glory, 
even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 

O sirs, what a rare jewel is grace ! The Lord 
of grace calls it glory. Mark from glory to glory; 
that is, from one degree of grace to another: grace is 
glory militant, and glory is grace triumphant: grace 
is glory begun, and glory is grace made perfect: grace 
is the first degree of glory, glory is the highest de- 
gree of grace; grace is the seed, glory is the flower: 



THE EVERLASTING FATHER. 97 

grace is the ring, glory is the sparkling diamond in 
the ring: grace is the glorious infant, and glory is 
the perfect man of grace: grace is the spring, glory 
is the harvest. The soul of man is the cabinet, the 
grace of God is the jewel; Christ will throw away 
the cabinet where he finds not the jewel. He that 
created us in the image, will restore to us his image. 
That is the seventh. 

Eighthly , God in Christ is a Father that never 
dies : other fathers be dead and gone, our father 
Abraham is dead, our father Isaac is dead, and oth- 
ers be dead and gone. O but God in Christ is a 
Father that lives for ever, that loves for ever, that 
reigns for ever. He is the Father of Eternity, in 
eternity, from eternity, to eternity, Prov. viii. He 
was always, is always, and shall be always, and he 
cannot but be always, Rev. i. 8. Christ is the 
same before time, in time, and after time, Hebrews 
xiii. 8. Jesus Christ is the same, saith the Apos- 
tle, yesterday, to-day, and for ever. Of him, and 
for him, and to him, and by him, are all things, 
Rom. xi. 6. 

Ninthly, God in Christ is a Father that correct- 
ed his children, all whom God loves he chasteneth, 
though he loves not to chastise. God had one Son 
without sin, but no son without sorrow; he had one 
Son without corruption, but no son without correo 
tion; Heb. xii. 16. For whom the Lord loves he 
chastiseth, and scourgeth every son whom he re- 
ceiveth, Rev. iii. 16. As many as I love I rebuke 
and chasten. Afflictions are blessings to us, when 
E 



9g THE EVERLASTING FATHER. 

we can bless God for the afflictions: Christ tells iv^ 
That he that will be his disciple, must deny him- 
self, take up his cross and follow him, Matt. xvi. 
24. There is a fourfold self, that must be denied 
for Jesus Christ, or else you cannot be called his 
disciples. 

1. A sinful-self. 

2. A natural-self. 

3. A self-righteousness. 

4. A self-gain or lucre. 

Sinful-self is to be destroyed, and natural-self is 
to be denied; we cannot enjoy ourselves, till we de- 
ny ourselves; God is far from beating his children 
for nothing, as he is from beating his children to 
nothing. 

The application. Is it so that God in Christ is 
a believer's everlasting Father? O then, what is 
so sweet a good as Christ ? and what is so great an 
evil as sin? O love Christ more, and hate sin 
more: Christ >bringeth life with him; a life of grace, 
a life of comfort, a life of glory; but sin bringeth 
death with it, death of body, death of soul, death 
here, and death hereafter. O the blood of Christ 
speafeeth better things than the blood of Abel ; 
Abel's blood cried for vengeance, but Christ's blood 
crieth for mercy. He is the pearl of great price, 
for which the rich merchant sold all that he had, 
and bought it, and found more joy in this pearl, 
than ever he had with all that he had. O therefore 
let me beseech you that are his children to love him, 
and to serve him ; he is your everlasting Father, 



THE EVERLASTING FATHER. 99 

therefore do his will on earth, as the angels do in 
heaven: you cannot complain of him for want of 
mercy: so good hath he been to you, as he hath not 
been wanting to you in anything, and will you be 
wanting to him in every thing? 

A son honoreth his father, and a servant his mas- 
ter: if I then be a Father, where is my honor ? if 
a master, where is my fear? Mai. i. 6. As a fa- 
ther, so will he be reverenced for his goodness. O 
what is that little he desireth of you, to that which 
he deserveth from you ! if honor be not due to him, 
let it not be bestowed; if it be due to him, let it not 
be denied : if God do great things for his children 
he will not accept of small things for his children. 
Do but see the out-cry that God makes against his 
own children, Isa. i. 2. Hear, O heavens, and be 
astonished, O earth! what is the matter? I have 
nourished and brought up children, and they have 
rebelled against me. The nearer the relation, the 
greater the obligation : Christ is related to them as 
a lord to his servants, as a lather to his children, as 
a head to his members: where the relation is near- 
est, there the provocation is greatest. It is a more 
pleasant thing to see rebels become children, than it 
is to see children become rebels. 

What mother can endure to see those lips that 
drew her breasts, to suck her blood? O Christians, 
you are more known to God than others, and there- 
fore you must more acknowledge him than others ; 
you do not look for so much splendor from the burn- 
ing of a candle as from the shining of the sun; nor 



100 THE EVERLASTING FATHER. 

SO much moisture from the dropping of the bucket, 
as from the dissolving of a cloud; to whom much is 
given, of them much shall be required. God doth 
not expect much where little is bestowed, nor ac- 
cept little where much is received. Hear ye the 
word of the Lord, O children of Israel, you only 
have I known above all the families of the earth, 
Amos. iii. 1, 2. God hath exalted you above oth- 
ers, and therefore you must do more for God than 
others. It was a great blemish to Hezekiah, that 
his returnings was not answerable to his receivings. 
O believers, let me beseech you to do much, to love 
much, to give much, to pray much, seeing you have 
received much. 

I shall wind up all, with a word of comfort to 
you the children of God: Oh sirs, God in Christ is 
your Father, your loving Father, your everlasting 
Father, and you are his children; therefore fear not, 
it shall go well with you here and hereafter; Luke, 
ii. 22. Fear not, little flock, forit is your Father's 
good pleasure to give you the kingdom. He will 
withhold no good thing from you, Psal. lxxxiv. 11, 
He gives grace and glory unto you; grace is the sil- 
ver link that draws the golden link of glory after it. 



THE PRINCE OF PEACE, 101 



THE PRINCE OF PEACE. 

He is altogether lovely. — Cant* 5. 16. 

D0CTRINE:~-That Jesus Christ is infinitely 
and superlatively lovely. 

Wherever Christ is a priest for redemption, he is 
a prince tor dominion ; wherever he is a Savior, 
there he is a ruler; where he is a fountain of hap- 
piness, there he is a fountain of holiness ; where he 
is a Redeemer, there he is a refiner; wherever he 
takes a bnrden from off the creature's hack, there he 
lays a yoke upon the creature's neck. The Lord 
is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is 
our king, he will save us, Isai. xxxiii. 22. 

I shall now proceed to the fifth title of Jesus 
Christ, which is Prince of Peace ; this you have 
in Isai. ix. 6. 

It is the happiness of the church of God, that 
although they cannot give peace, yet they may get 
peace, though they settle it on earth, yet they may 
seek it from heaven : peace is the well-being of all 
other enjoyments : all other mercies suck their live- 
lihood at the breasts of peace : it is the mother of 
all prosperity ; as the life of old Jacob was wrapt 
up in the life of the lad Benjamin ; so is all happi- 
ness wrapt up in peace : it is the felicity of the saints 



10® THE t>RlNCfi OF PEACE. 

on earth, and the glory of the angels in heaven. 
When the old Hebrews wished any happiness to 
any one, they only used this expression, Peace be 
unto you. 

From this title of Christ, I shall lay down two 
propositions. 

Firstly ; That Zion's King is a peaceable King. 

Secondly; That the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince 
of Peace, is the cause and foundation of a bliev- 
er's peace. 

Doct. These two points lie full in the words ; but 
I shall only speak of the latter, viz., that Jesus 
Christ the Prince of Peace, is the cause and foun- 
dation of a believer's peace. 

In the prosecution of it, I shall show you four 
things. 

1. He is the Peace bringer. 

2. The Peace-maker. 

3. The peace-giver. 

And 4. He is the Prince of Peace, or the Peace- 
able Prince. 

Firstly ; Jesus Christ is the Peace-bringer, he 
brought in everlasting peace by righteousness, and 
not by sword, Luke iv. 14 ; peace on earth, and good 
will towards men. Why was the bread of life an 
hungred, but that he might feed the hungry with the 
bread of life ? Why was rest itself weary, but to 
give the weary rest? Why was the Prince of 
Peace in trouble, but that the troubled might have 
peace? None but the image of God could restore 
us to God's image ; none but the beloved of God 



THE PRINCE OF PEACE. 103 

could make us beloved to God ; none but the natu- 
ral Son could make us sons ; none but the wisdom 
of God could make us wise ; none but the Prince 
of Peace could bring the God of Peace, and the 
peace of God to poor sinners ; and therefore he is 
called our Peace, Eph. ii. 14. 

O what is so sweet and good as Christ ! and what 
so great an evil as sin ! the former brings us to joy 
and peace, the latter brings us to woe and misery 
That is the first. 

Secondly; He is the Peace-maker, as well as the 
peace-bringer. He is the Pace-maker between 
God and man ; sin is the great make bare be 
tween God and the soul ; sin is the wall of sep- 
aration between God and us, and the Prince of 
Peace makes peace between God and us. He 
paid all the debts, and took up all the controver 
sies, and blotted out the hand-writing, and hath bro- 
ken down the partition wall, and made up the great 
breach between God and man; 2 Cor. v. 19; God 
was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. 
Mark, it is in Christ; so likewise elsewhere Fou 
who were sometimes afar off, he hath made nigh by 
the blood of Christ. O sinners, Christ is our Peace* 
maker, the Prince of peace makes peace between 
God and us ; he reconciles God to men, and men to 
God; so that though God might be justly displeased 
with us, yet in his Son he is well pleased with us ; 
he is more plea, cd with a believer for Christ's 
sake, than he was displeased with him for sin's 
sake 



104 THEPRINCE OF PEACE. 

Thirdly, Jesus Christ is the Peace -giver; alas! 
poor sinner, we have no peace with angels, no peace 
with conscience, nor one with another, till the 
Prince of peace give it to us : Peace I leave with 
f ou, peace I give unto you, saith our Lord to his 
disciples, John xiv. 27. O, sirs, he gives peace 
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ ; Christ 
giveth peace to us which the world connot take 
from us ; worldly trouble cannot overcome heavenly 
peace. 

Fourthly; He is a Prince of peace, or the peacea- 
ble Prince ; so he is styled not only peace, but the 
Prince of peace. Indeed beloved, he is all peace 
to a believer : Her ways are ways of pleasantness, 
and all her paths are peace, speaking of Christ, 
Prov. iii. 18. Mark, all her paths are peace. 

Now what are these paths; I shall name six to 
you. 

1. The path of repentance. 

2. Of faith. 

3. Of truth. 

4. Of self-denial. 

5. Of obedience. 

6. Of holiness. 

These are several patns or peace, and peaceable 
paths ; O sirs, there is no peace to be found, but in 
the paths of peace ; as all his works be great and 
marvellous, so all his ways are peace and pleas- 
antness. 

Secondly; His gospel is a gospel of peace; it is a 



THB PRINCE OF PEACE. 105 

great mercy to enjoy the gospel of peace ; but a 
greater mercy to enjoy the peace of the gospel. 

Thirdly ; His reward is peace, Isai. lvii. 2. He 
shall enter into peace. Here the joys of heaven 
are called peace. The true sons of peace, and the 
peaceable sons of truth shall be crowned with peace; 
they shall enter into peace. And thus, beloved, I 
have briefly, yea, I shall fully prove the point, that 
Jesus Christ is the cause and fountain of a believ- 
er's peace. 

Uses. Now for the application of the point, 
I shall reduce it to four heads. 

1. For information. 

2. For examination. 

3. For exhortation. 

4. For consolation. 

Firstly; By way of information; here we may see 
what great need we stand in of Jesus Christ. O 
, christians ! Is Jesus Christ the cause and foundation 
of all our peace ? Then we have no right or title to 
peace but by the Prince of peace. We have no 
peace with God, saith the apostle, but through our 
Lord Jesus Christ ; we are reconciled to God in 
Christ Jesus ; and we who were afar off, saith 
Paul, are made nigh by the blood of Christ. We 
are only acceptable in the beloved ; so that, beloved, 
it is all in Christ, and through Christ that we have 
our peace. A Christless man is a peaceless man ; 
he hath not peace with God, no peace with angels, 
no peace with conscience; till we be Christ's friends, 
we areourowrf foes. It is true, a wicked man may 



106 THE PRINCE OF PEACE. 

speak peace to himself, but God speaks not a jot of 
peace to him ; he may speak peace to himself till 
he falleth into everlasting flames, God is his ene- 
my, the devil is his foe, angels hate him, all crea- 
tures cry for vengeance upon him ; Isai. lvii. 21; 
there is no peace to the wicked, saith my God : no 
not a word, nor a dream of peace to person who is 
out of Christ ; therefore, O sirs ! consider in what 
need ye stand of the Prince of peace. 

Secondly; It informs us, that to have peace with 
our Creator and Maker, is the sweetest and best 
thing in the world. O how infinitely sweet is 
peace ! What is sweeter than peace ? Alas ! gold 
is but dust, pleasures but toys, wit is but a flash, 
beauty but a blast, honor but a rattle, life but a 
vapor: O, but peace is better than the sweetest, and 
better than the best of all those. 

Firstly; because he that hath peace with God may 
come boldly to God, Heb. vi. 16. 

Secondly, He that hath peace with God hath com- 
munion and fellowship with Him, 1 John i. 2; 
Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with 
his Son Jesus Christ. Thirdly, He that is at 
peace with God, is a son of God ; peace is of all 
other the most sweet ; O ! it is wine to comfort us, 
and bread to nourish us, it makes a man live com- 
fortably, and die cheerfully. 

Tkirdlg, If Jesus Christ the Prince of Peace, be 
the cause and foundation of all our peace, why then, 
he that wants the Prince of peace, wants all good 
thing; he is the miserablest man in the world that 



THE PRINCE OF PEACE. 10? 

i 

is without Christ; he wants reconciliation with God, 
an interest in Christ, he wants the sealing and com- 
forting of the Spirit ; he wants justification, sanc- 
tification, and adoption ; he wants pardon of sin, 
and freedom from the dominion of sin ; he wants 
that favor which is better than life, that joy which 
is unspeakable and full of glory, and that faith, a 
dram of which is of more worth than a king's ran- 
som ; he wants those riches which perish not, those 
evidences for heaven that fail not, that love which 
dies not, that kingdom which shakes not. O be- 
loved, how many things doth that poor soul want 
which wanteth Christ? He is wretched, miserable, 
poor, blind and naked, Rev. iii. 17. Christ is a 
pearl, whosoever hath him can never be poor, and 
whosoever wants him can never be rich ; did but 
men see all in this pearl of great price, then they 
would sell all for this pearl of great price. 

Fourthly \ If Jesus Christ be the cause and foun- 
dation of our peace, then it is our greatest concern- 
ment to get into favor with the Prince of peace ; 
many seek the ruler's favor, saith the scripture, but 
O seek ye the favor of this Prince : poor souls, 
without him there is no mercy, no peace, no grace, 
no glory, no heaven, no crown, no eternal life ; for 
this is eternal life, to know thee the only true God, 
and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent, John xvii. 3. 

Use 2. By way of examination and self-denial, 
the trial of ourselves is the ready way to the knowl- 
edge of ourselves. O Christians, would you see 
your God? Then cast your eyes upward; would 



lOtf THE PRINCE OF PEACE. 

• 

you see yourselves? Then cast your eyes inward. 
Contemplation is a glass to see your God in. It 
is of greater concernment to know the estate of 
your hearts, than to know the estate of the king- 
dom. And therefore I beseech you, examine your- 
selves, that you may know yourselves; that you 
may know whose you are while you live, and whith- 
er you will go when you die, and what will become 
of you to all eternity. O sirs, bring yourselves to 
the trial, and try yourselves, and see whether you 
are in the faith, and the faith in you. Faith is such 
a grace that a man cannot be saved without it, and 
cannot be damned that hath it. 

O see whether you be in the narrow way that 
leadeth to life, or in the broad way that leadeth to 
death ; whether your hearts be chairs for vice to sit 
in, or thrones for grace to rule in ; whether ye are 
one of Christ's apostles, or the devil's harlots; 
whether you are heirs of heaven or hell ; whether 
ye be Satan's bondmen, or God's freemen. Exam- 
ination is the beaten path to perfection* 1st Cor. 
i. 25. Not many wise, not many mighty, not many 
noble, are called. It is seldom that the sparkling 
diamond of a great estate, is set in the gold ring 
of a gracious heart. A man may be great with 
Saul, and graceless ; rich with Dives, and misera- 
ble ; the richest are oftentimes the poorest, and the 
poorest are oftentimes the richest : O how many 
thread-bare souls may there be found under silken 
coats, and purple robes ? they who live most down- 
ward, die most upward ; a sight of ourselves in 



THE PRINCE OF PEACE. 109 

grace, will certainly bring us to a sight of ourselves 
in glory; those sins shall never make a hell for us, 
that have been a hell to us. 

Use 3. But it is time for me to turn my speech 
into an exhortation; and O that you would encour- 
age me with your resolution to obey my message 
this day ; that is, to make your peace with the 
Prince of Peace, that you may be the true sons of 
peace, and the peaceable sons of truth, that you 
might be righteous before God, and holy before 
men; that you may gloriously shine in glory, and 
that you may have peace with God, with angels, 
with your own consciences, and with one another. 
Well, sirs, what say you in answer to the message? 
Shall the Prince of Peace be your love and lord ; 
your nearest and dearest, your joy and your delight? 
Will you kiss the Son, will you make your peace 
with the God of peace, and give up your souls and 
lives to be ruled by him ? These things I exhort 
you to do, and God expects them at -your hand. — 
But that this exhortation may stay with you, I shall 
back it with some pressing considerations. 

First, Consider God's goodness and good-will 
towards men : God has given you rich means that 
you may make and secure your peace with God. 

1st. He hath given you the law and the gospel. 

2d. He hath generously given time and opportu- 
nity. 

3d. Mercies and afflictions; mercies to draw you, 
and afflictions to drive you. 

4th. He hath given you preachers, both inward 



110 THE PRINCE OF PEACE. 

and outward preachers ; by outward preachers, I 
mean the ministers of Christ, who beseech you and 
entreat you for Christ's sake to be reconciled to 
God, and make your peace with God : by inward 
preacheis, I mean your own consciences, that judg- 
eth you and checketh you, and reproveth you for 
your sins and abominations. 

5th. He hath given to j^ou precepts and promises; 
precepts commanding you to do : and promises as- 
suring you of a glorious reward for your doing. 

6th. The spirit and convictions, Gen. vi. 37. 
My spirit shall not always strive with man. Oh ! 
how long will you stand out against God ? What 
have ye to say against this ? How can you an- 
swer this when )'ou and I shall appear before God's 
judgment seat? have you anything to say against 
this? Oh! sad will be your end, unless you make 
your peace with God: and therefore (seeing God 
has given these things to you, that you may make 
and secure your peace with him) he that liveth in 
sin without repentance, shall die in sin without for- 
giveness. This is the first. 

Secondly, God inviteth and wooeth you to come 
and make your peace with him, Isa. liii. 1. Ho, 
every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and 
and he that hath no money ; come ye, buy and eat, 
come, and buy wine and milk, without money and 
without price. 

Beloved, here is three comes in this text, to show 
the infinite willingness of God to save poor sinners} 
eo in Rev. xxii. 17. The Bride and his Spirit say 



THE PRINCE OF PEACE. 'Ill 

Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And 
him that is athirst, let him Come: (here is three 
comes again in this text.) And whosoever will, let 
him take the water of life freely. What, are there 
none thirsty among you? Do none thirst for Christ, 
grace, and heaven? If you come, sirs, here you 
may have grace, mercy, and happiness. Now, for 
the Lord's sake, consider wherefore is all this, but 
that you may make your peace with God? Shall 
the God of heaven call, and you will not hear? — 
What, will you rather stay in your sins and die, 
than go to Christ for your life? Oh! sirs, go to 
the Prince of Peace for peace, that you may have 
peace: if you do not lay your sins to your hearts 
that you may be humbled for them, God will lay 
them to your charge, that you may be damned for 
them. 

A third consideration is this, Either you must 
taste of God's goodness, or of his fury ; there is 
not a man, woman, or child among you but must 
partake of one or the other; your portion will 
be either joy or sorrow; either desolation or conso- 
lation; if you be not trees for bearing you must be 
trees for burning; if you are not for fruit, you must 
be for the flames, if you do not swim in the water- 
works of repentance, you shall burn in the fire- 
works of vengeance: if you do not go and make 
your peace with God, that you may have heaven, 
you shall go to hell for not making your peace; one 
of them you must do. Oh! sirs, I have set life 
and death, heaven and hell, bitter and nweet before 



112 THE PRINCE OP PEACE, 

you this day; Will you make your peace with God 
or no ? Will you still go on in a way of wicked- 
ness, breaking his laws, grieving his Spirit? Will 
you die a natural death, before you live a spiritual 
life ? I say then, if you live so, and die so, you 
shall be damned with the damned, and punished 
with the punishment of hell, and so sent to hell 
with loads of wrath upon your backs. You shall 
have your part in that lake which burneth with fire 
and brimstone, which is the -second death. He that 
believes, shall be saved, and he that believes not, 
shall be damned, saith our Lord, Mark xvi. 16. — 
Oh ! sirs, it is better to repent without perishing, 
than to perish without repenting; therefore look to 
it as well as you will. Are you able to deal with 
God? Alas ! alas ! all the world is but like a drop 
of water in comparison of God : and therefore 
make your peace with him. Heb. ii. 3, How shall 
we escape, if we neglect so great salvation ? 

Fourthly, Consider what the damned in hell 
would give for the offers of mercy that are now of- 
fered to you ; certainly they would give ten thou- 
sand worlds, if they had them, for those opportuni- 
ties that you enjoy. Should God say to poor 
wretches that are suffering in hell for their drunk- 
enness upon earth, and their whoring and abomina- 
tions, as he doth to us, Come unto me all ye that 
labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, 
Oh ! how earnestly would they run and catch the 
word out of God's mouth ! Oh ! beloved, the dev-. 
i!s are loo well acquainted with misery, to put by 



THE PRINCE OF TEACF. 113 

mercy if it were offered to them. But, alas! alas! 
poor damned wretches, there is no dram of mercy 
for them; no, not so much as a drop of water for 
them, not a drop of water to cool their flaming 
tongues. Oh, that you would consider this, and 
make your peace with God before death comes, 
which may be the next night, for ought ye know : 
if ye lose your golden-seasons, ye lose your souls. 
O therefore make your peace with God, that it may 
not be said of you as it was once said of Jerusalem 
in Luke xix. 42, O that thou hadst known in this 
day the things that concern thy peace; but now 
they are hid from thine eyes. Here was a weeping 
word, a sad word to Jerusalem. Alas! now it is 
hid from their eyes; their golden-season is gone ; 
there is no peace to be had : and therefore I beg of 
you, as though 1 were condemned, and begging for 
my life ; so I beg of you in the bowels of Christ, 
and for your soul's sake, make your peace with God. 
Fifthly ) Seriously consider the multitude of sins 
thou hast been guilty of, even more than the hairs of 
thy head, or the sand of the sea-shore, or the stars 
in the heavens, which are innumerable ; saith Da- 
vid, They are more than the hairs of my head, 
Psalm xl. 12. Alas! one of thy sins were enough 
to sink thee into hell forever: What advantage doth 
Dives reap in hell of all the delicate banquets that he 
had on earth? Oh ! think on that time, wherein ye 
shall be ashamed of nothing but your wickedness, 
and glory in nothing but your holiness. 



Hi THE PRINCE OF PEACE. 

Sin, it is like a serpent in the bosom that is sting- 
ing, or like a thief in the closet that is stealing, or 
like poison in the stomach that is poisoning, or like 
a sword in the bowels that is killing: some are in 
hell already for the same sins thou livest in, and if 
thou livest and diest without Christ, thou shalt ere 
long be with them; therefore, I say, make peace 
with God. 

Sixthly ', Consider that there is more bitterness 
following upon sins ending, than ever there was 
sweetness flowing from sins acting; you that see 
nothing but well in its commission, will suffer no- 
thing but wot in its conclusion ; it is better here to 
forego the pleasures of sin, than hereafter to under- 
go the pains of sin : you that sin for your profits, 
will never profit by your sins; he that likes the 
works of sin to do them, will never like the wages 
of sin to have them. Sin is both shameful and 
damnable; it shameth men in this world, and dam- 
neth them in the other world; it is like Judas, that 
at first salutes, but at last betrays us; or like Deli- 
lah, to smile in our face, and betray us into our en- 
emies hands. Oh! sinners, think of this, and part 
with your sins, that you may meet with your Sa- 
vior, and make your peace with him. 

Seventhly, Cousider the heavy judgments tnat 
hang over your heads. You lie open to all the 
judgments in this life, and torments in the life to 
come. Oh ! you sinners, the day is hasting upon 
you, wherein you will have misery without mercy, 



THE PRINCE OF PEACE. 116 

sorrow without succour, pain without ease, punish- 
ment without pity, and torment without end, unless 
repentance do prevent. 2d Cor. i. 7, 8, 9, The 
Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his 
mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on 
all them that know not God, and that obey not the 
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be pun- 
ished with everlasting destruction from the presence 
of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. Oh! 
let the hearing of this prevent the feeling of this, 
poor sinner. 

Eighthly and lastly, If none of the former ar- 
guments or considerations prevail with you, to 
make your peace with the Prince of Peace, yet let 
this one, I beseech j^ou, and that is, the readiness 
and willingness of God to give Christ, and Christ 
to give himself to you. Oh ! sinners, is God wil- 
ling to give his Son, and are you willing to receive 
his Son? Consider the willingness of God, Be- 
hold, I stand at the door and knock, if any man 
hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in 
unto him, and will sup with him. Mark sinners, 
here, Behold I stand, Who? I that have heaven to 
give, I that have a crown to give, I that have all 
joys to give ; I that have myself to give, I stand 
and knock. Do you see this, poor sinners ? Who 
is it that stands at the door of your heart and 
knocks ? Who, it is the King of saints, Prince of 
Peace, the Mighty God : And will you not open 
to him? What, are you unwilling to be saved, to 
go to heaven, and to be happy forever? What, are ' 



116 THE PRINCE OF PEACE. 

you unwilling to be delivered from Satan, from sin, 
and from the flames of hell? If you be willing, 
then make your peace with God, for God is willing 
to open heaven for you, if you be willing to open 
your hearts to him ; he is willing to save you, if 
you be but willing to be saved; he is willing to give 
a Christ, if you be willing to receive a Christ: and 
therefore, poor souls, let these considerations pro- 
voke you to go for life to the Lord of life, to go for 
peace to the Prince of Peace, to go for grace to the 
God of grace. Were men so diligent as to do their 
best, God is so indulgent, he would forgive the 
worst 



THE ELECT PRECIOUS. 117 

THE ELECT PftECIOUS. 

He is altogether lovely. — Cant. 5. 16. 

DOCTRINE:-- -That Jesus Christ is infinitely 
and superlatively lovely. 

Who can be weary of preaching, or hearing, or 
reading, or learning Christ ? Who is so precious 
and lovely? Mahomet is the Turk's love; Moses 
is the Jew's love ; the Pope is the Papists love; but 
Christ is a believer's love. 

I shall now make some entrance upon Christ's 
sixth famous and lovely title, The Elect Precious; 
this you have in 1st Pet. ii. 6. 

From this excellent title, I shall lay down two 
propositions. 

Doct. I. That Jesus Christ the Mediator, is God 
the Father's elect. I pray mark, there is a threefold 
elect of God. 

First, The elect Jesus Christ; Isa. xlii. 1. Be- 
hold my servant, my elect, saith the Father, speak- 
ing of Christ. 

Second, The elect angels; 1st Tim. v. 21. I 
charge thee before God, and our Lord Jesus Christ 
and the elect angels. 

Third, The elect saints; and for this see Col. iii. 
1. Put on therefore (as the elect of God, holy and 
beloved) bowels of mercy. 



118 THE ELECT PRECIOW 

But alas! what are the elect angels, or the 
elect saints, to the elect precious, it is only the 
blessed Jesus that is the elect precious, and precious 
to the elect. 

But I shall not stand upon this point, but pro- 
ceed to the second. 

Doct. II. And that is this, That a crucified and 
glorified Christ, is very precious to all believing 
saints. 

In handling this precious point, I shall show you 
five things 

1. That he is precious. 

2. That he is most precious. 

3. He is all precious. 

4. He is always precious. 

5. Why he is so precious. 

First, That he is precious : Jesus Christ is pre* 
cious three ways ; to God, to angels, and to saints. 

First, To God the Father ; and this will appeal 
by what God the Father hath said himself of the 
Son, Isa. xlii. 1, My elect in whom my so«ul de 
lighteth. Here you see, Christians, what God 
saith to Christ ; the soul of God delights in the 
Son of God. So again, Matt. iii. 17. This is 
my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Mark 
here, not only pleased, but well pleased. Oh! how 
precious is Christ to God the Father. 

The Lord Jesus, though he was a man of sor- 
rows, yet he was not a man of sin ; he had correc- 
tion, but not corruption ; he that was a way to oth- 
ers, never went out of the way himself. Jesus 



THE ELECT PRECIOUS. 119 

Christ needs be precious to the Father, because he 
never displeased him in any thing, but pleased him 
in everything; John viii. 27. Christ there speak- 
ing of himself, I do always the things that pleased 
him, said our Lord Jesus. O ! friends, it will be 
your glory, your crown, your honor and happiness 
another day, if in this day you do these things that 
please God; so did Christ here, I do always those 
things that please him. Christ went about doing 
good; he must needs please the Father, for he went 
about doing good; Acts x. 38. He did not always 
stay in one place, but he went about doing good. — 
And truly, if people were not made better by his 
coming, they might thank themselves, for he went 
about doing good. As he was never ill-employed, 
he was never unemployed ; as he opened the scrip- 
tures to our understanding, so he opened our under- 
standing to the scriptures. That is the first. 

Secondly ; He is very precious to the angels as 
well as to the Father; the angels were very joyful 
at the birth of Christ their Lord; they sung praises 
to God on high, Luke ii. 13. 13. See with what 
joy and triumph the angels sung at the birth of 
Christ : Oh ! how precious is Christ to the elect 
angels ! The angels adore him, let all the angels 
of God worship him, Heb. i. 6. The Lord of 
Hosts is worshipped by an host of angels. Let all 
the angels of God worship him. The angels de- 
sire to pry into the mysteries of the gospel of grace; 
as you may see, 1st Pet. i. 2. The angels, though 
they are glorious to all eternity, look upon it as not 



120 THE ELECT PRECIOUS. 

below them, to pry into Christ's mystery. The an- 
gels are desirous to know these things which we 
neglect to know. 

Thirdly, The angels stand before him as wait- 
ing-men to serve God, and serve such as are God's; 
when he bids them go, they go, come, and they 
come, do this, and they do it: They do all his 
commands, Psalm ciii. 20. Jesus Christ is the 
creator of angels, the Lord of angels, the Prince 
of angels, the Head of angels; Col. i. 16. The 
Son of God is very precious to the angels of God. 
Do you see how precious Christ is to the angels of 
God ! And well he may,, for indeed he is a precious 
jewel in the cabinet of grace. 

Fourthly, Jesus Christ is precious to the saints 
as well as to his Father and angels; 1st Peter, ii. 7. 
You have there a full text to this purpose, Unto 
you therefore, which believe, he is precious. Mark 
here, unto you; what you? To you therefore that 
believe he is precious. He is precious indeed to 
them that believe, and no wonder; he is a believer's 
all. Now that which is his all must needs be pre- 
cious; Christ is his all, he is all that he hath, he is 
all that he enjoys: Christ is all that he is worth; he 
is all that they are, they are no such thing without 
him ; they have nothing without him ; whatever 
they are worth, it is he that makes them worth it; it 
is not worth a man's while to live, unless he live in 
Christ ; Christ is the gain of a believer, living and 
dying : so that whatever is good for a believer he 



TISfi ELECT PRECIOUS. 121 

must say, for this I am beholden to Christ, saithhe, 
All things ars yours, and ye are Christ's. 

Now, let me give you a more particular account 
of the Christian's worth, and inventory of his es- 
tates; and all along I shall show you that Christ is 
the wo th of all that : what is it that makes a be- 
lie er so p ecious and exce :ent? Why? It is such 
things as these : 

1. He is a living man. 

2. He is a seeing man. 

3. He is a person of honor. 

4. He hath a great deal of joys, and hope of more. 

5. He is righteous and holy, and in a word, he is 
saved at last. 

These are things that make a Christian so excel- 
lent a person, and he hath none of these but by 
Christ, and he hath all this alone by Christ. 

First, This is the excellency of a Christian, that 
he is a living man : there is no man on earth can in 
a spiritual sense, be called a living man, but a be- 
liever ; all men be dead men, but they that believe. 
You "know that it was said of the prodigal, while 
he lived in his sins, he was dead. This is my son 
that was dead, and is now alive : when he believed, 
then he was alive. Now, as it is in the things of 
nature, life is the most valued thing which we have* 
skin for skin, and all that a man hath will h% give 
for his life : a man will rather part with his liveli- 
hood than with his life, because his life is so dear 
to him . Now, beloved, if natural life be so desi- 
rable a thing, what is a spiritual life, that which ia 

G 



122 THE EJUECT PKECiUuS. 

scripture is called the life of God? Now the be- 
liever is the only living man, every other man is 
spiritually dead : but now how comes the believer 
to life ? By whom doth he live ? Why, it is by 
Christ Jesus; Gal. ii. 20. I am crucified with 
Christ, notwithstanding I live; Wliat, crucified and 
yet live ? Yes, Christ was crucified and yet lives : 
and so did Paul in resemblance and conformity to 
Christ; I live, saith h# f yet not I, but Christ which 
liveth in me ; and the life which I now live in the 
flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God. So 
that Paul will not call his life his own, but only as 
he deriveth it from Christ: Christ liveth in him 
more than himself liveth. 

Secondly, The excellency of a believer lies in 
this, that he is the seeing man ; it is the sight which 
puts the difference between persons: it is a sad thing 
to be born blind, or to be blinded after a man is 
born. Now all men are either born blind, or blind- 
ed after they are born, or both. Now beloved, 
would you know how precious sight is ? Ask a 
blind man who once could see. We read of»a poor 
man who comes running to Christ, and cries out, 
O Lord, that I may receive my sight. Now, if in 
nature having the sight of our eyes be a thing that 
makes us so much more excellent than otherwise 
we would be witho ut it, O then how much valug 
should we put upon this spiritual sight which refers 
to our souls : W# can much better want the eyes of 
our heads, than the eyes of our understanding: noir 



THE ELECT PRECIOUS. 123 

in a spiritual sense there is no seeing man but a be- 
liever; no man saw Christ savingly, but they who 
saw him beiievingly; every man but a believer walks 
in darkness ; nay, he is in darkness. The apostle, 
Eph. v. 8, tells somewhat to this purpose. You 
were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in 
the Lord. 

In the Lord Jesus Christ, you see a believer doth 
sec, and how he comes to see, it is in the Lord that 
he sees,- he was as dark as others, and as blind as 
others, till he was in the Lord, and no sooner was 
he in the Lord but he was a light in the Lord. That 
is the second. 

Thirdly, The excellency of a believer lies in 
this, That he is a very beautiful and honorable per 
son. Beauty and honor be the taking, ravishing 
things of this world, all but believers be deformed 
persons; there is no beauty nor comeliness why thty 
should be desired. But the believer is a very love*' 
ly, beautiful person ; he is so in the eyes of Ged, 
Ezek. xvi. 12, 13, And I put a jewel on thy fore* 
head, and ear-rings in thine ears ; and so he goei on 
and saith, Thou wast exceeding beautiful, and did 
prosper into a kingdom. But mark how he came 
by this beauty in the next verse ; and thy renown 
went forth among the heathen for thy beauty; for it 
was perfect through my comeliness which I put up- 
on thee, sa&h the Lord God - f she was not only 
beautiful in the eyes of the Lord, but she had her 
beauty also from the Lord: as they are thus lovely 



124 THE KLECT PRECIOUS. 

and taking in the eyes or' God, so also of good an- 
gels, and saints too. For so glorious a place as 
heaven is, the angels thin! it not helow them to wait 
on the image and pictures ol Christ here below, 
that is, to wait upon believers, and to be the Lord's 
gua-dian here upon earth ; Heb. i. 1 *, are they not 
all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to them 
who shall be heirs of salvation? But this is not all 
they do for them, they will not leave them when 
they die, but take those lovely souls and. transport 
them to a better country than ever this world was to 
them : for it is no paradox to say this, that there is 
no believer goes to heaven, but he goes in the arms 
of angels, Luke xvi. 12, In the parabolical history 
of Dives and Lazarus, saith the text, Lazarus died, 
believing, Lazarus died, and his soul was carried 
by the angels into Abraham's bosom, that is to hea- 
ven : O what an honor have believers at their death, 
that the very angels transport their souls to heaven : 
and they are also very lovely and honorable in the 
eyes of all good men ! The truth is, there is scarce 
any roan fit company for believers, but believers, 
and therefore, saith the Apostle, be not unequally 
yoked, believers with unbelievers. 

Now good men be much taken with a believer, 
though he be a stranger to them on all accounts ; 
they are very fond of one another in this world, 
and had rather suffer together than live with other 
men. Now, this makes a believer so excellent, that 
he is thus beautiful and honorable in the eyes of 
C^od, and good angels and good men. Now all this 



THE ELECT PRECIOUS. 125 

beauty and honor they have from Christ; see the 
text before quoted to you who believe, he is an hon- 
or, so the word may be used: it is Christ that 
makes him honorable in the eyes of God, in the 
eyes of good angels and good men : and all that 
beauty and honor they have it is through Christ, he 
is their worth in every capacity. 

Fourthly r , That which makes a believer so ex- 
cellent is, that he hath joy ; all other men have no 
joy, but that which is not worth having: alas! the 
joy of the hypocrite, what is it, but the crackling 
of thorns under a pot? But now a believer hath a 
joy that no man intermeddleth with, and no man 
partakes of: but how, where hath he that joy? Why, 
in and from the Lord: these things I speak, saith 
Christ, that my joy may be in you: they have it 
from the Lord ; they rejoice in the Lord ; We re- 
joice in Christ Jesus, saith Paul, and have no con- 
fidence in the flesh. ! 

Fifthly , Have they hope? It is from Christ: 
and indeed none have hope but they : for without 
God, and without Christ, and without hope, are put 
together, in Eph. ii. 12. But now the believer hath 
good hopes, and this bears him up many times. — 
Alexander thought this so brave a thing, that when 
he gave <*ne man whole countries, another vast 
treasures, and being asked what he would keep for 
himself? saith he, I will keep hope. For he 
thought it enough for so brave and great a soul as 
his, to hope for that which would make him do 
whatsoever he was able to do, or any one could 



126 THK ELECT PRECIOU 

fckink. The hopes of mercy, joy, and peace, will 
carry a man through thousands of difficulties.— 
Now the believer hath this hope, but he hath it 
from Christ, Col. i. 27, Christ in you the hope of 
glory. 

Sixthly , Are they wise, are they righteous, are 
they holy, and none so but they ? every sinner is a 
fool; and therefore in scripture is called by the 
name of a foolish man : he plays the fool all the 
time he spends out of the fear of God ; all-sinning 
time is a fooling time. Now the believer is a wise 
man, a righteous man, and a holy man; but how he 
comes to be thus now, take an account t>f it in 1st 
Cor. i. 30. Pray, mark here, Christ is the all of a 
believer; of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of 
God is made unto wisdom and righteousness, and 
sanctification and redemption. 

So that you see if a believer be a wise man, he 
may thank Christ for it; if he be a righteous man, 
if he be a holy man, he may thank God for it : For 
he of Christ is made unto us wisdom and righteous- 
ness, sanctification and redemption. 

Lastly, In a word, they are saved: and indeed, . 
this is the compliment, ay, the compliment of all 
the rest; are they saved? For, saith Christ, he 
that believeth shall be saved, and he that believeth 
not shall be damned. The believer is already in 
the state of salvation, and the unbeliever is in the 
state of damnation ; by nature we are all children 
of wrath ; now faith in Jesus Christ k the means 



THE ELECT *&«0I0HS. 1*7 

that God hath appointed to free us from being chil- 
dren of wrath. Now he that believes is past this, 
he shall not be condemned, he shall be saved ; and 
how comes he to be saved? It is by Christ, by be- 
lieving in Christ: O! who is the Savior but Christ? 
To be in Christ is heaven below, and to be with 
Christ is heaven above; but there is no being 
.with Christ above, if we were not in Christ here 
below. 

Thus you see, beloved, whatever it is that makes 
a believer so excellent and precious, it is Christ that 
makes him w r orth all : he hath it all from Christ, 
Christ is his all in all. Now put all this together, 
and see if there be not great reason that Christ 
should be precious to believers. 

As Jesus Christ is precious, so he is most pre- 
cious: O sirs ! angels are precious, saints are pre- 
cious, friends are precious, heaven is precious, but 
a Christ, a Savior, is ten thousand times more pre- 
cious than these; a believer had rather have Christ 
without heaven, than heaven without Christ : Whom 
have I in heaven but thee? and there is roue upon 
earth that I desire beside thee, Psal. Ixxiii. 25. Let 
a believer search heaven and earth, and yet he will 
6nd nothing comparable to God. To be like him, 
it is our happiness ; and to draw near to him, is our 
holiness. You will see, beloved, life is precious, 
freedom is precious health is precious, peace is pre- 
cious, food and raiment are precious, gold and sil- 
ver are precious, kingdoms and crowns are precious 



128 THE ELECT PRECIOUS. 

indeed they are in their places, but nothing in com- 
parison of Jesus Christ. Mark, sirs, what the 
Apostle saith, Phil. iii. 8, Yea, doubtless, and I 
count all things but loss for the excellency of the 
knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord. I count all 
things loss ; nay, that is not all, I count them but 
dung that I may win Christ. What is life but a 
warfare ? And what is our life but a thoroughfare? 
It is only the best of beings that can bestow the 
best of blessings : O how good is a believer's God, 
that doth not only shorten his pilgrimage for him, 
but sweetens his pilgrimage to him ! Oh, Christ is 
a believer's all, and therefore he is more precious 
than all, he hath all in Christ, and'nothing out of 
Christ: there is no such thing as a believer without 
him. By faith we have an interest in Christ, we 
have an interest in God, and by havirg an interest 
in God, we have an interest in all fengs : the be- 
liever is the only blessed man, the ^nly happy man, 
the only rich man. Rev. xxi. 7, fle that overcom- 
eth shall inherit all things. O what a glorious in- 
heritance are they born to, feat are new-born ! All 
things are theirs, and the'/ shall inherit all things ; 
what can they desire mori; than all ? All that Chris* 
hath is theirs, his wisdom is theirs to teach them, 
his love is theirs to pity them, his Spirit is theirs to 
comfort them, his righteousness is theirs to justify 
them, his power is theirs to protect them, and his 
glory is theirs to crown them. O, sirs! Christ 
cannot but be most precious to a believer, because 
a 11 his precious com for* ivbm Christ. The 



THE SUVQt PilBOlOtm I2D 

Lord Jesus is fairer than the fairest, sweeter than 
the sweetest, nearer than the nearest, dearer than the 
dearest, richer than the richest, and better than the 
best. The Elect Precious, is of all the most pre- 
cious 

First, Because that he is the greatest gift that 
God can give, or that we can receive. God so 
loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son; 
this is more than if he had given us all the world ; 
for God hath but one Son, and can make no more 
sons ; but God can make more worlds at his pleas- 
ure: this gift is God himself, and God can give us 
no greater gift than himself. We may say as one 
said to Cesar when he gave him a great reward : 
This is too great a gift, said he, for me to receive ! 
But it is not too much for me to give, said Cesar. 

Secondly , Because he is the richest gift that ev* 
er was given, for Christ is all in all. If he hath 
given us Christ, he will give us all things else. Ro- 
mans, viii. 36, He is the one thing needful, that 
brings all things ; yea, he is the gift of God, If 
thou knewest the gift of God, (saith our Savior, in 
John. iv. 10,) thou wouldst have asked for it, and 
begged it of me. Why is Christ called the gift of 
God? Surely God hath given us more gifts thaa 
one ; true, but as the sun is more worth than all the 
stars, so this gift excels them all ; according to the 
proverb, ^We bless not God for stars when the 
sun shines ; for when the sun shines, the stars ap- 
pear not. ■ 

Thirdly, Because he is the chiefest gift that God 



130 1HE ELECT PRECIOUS. 

hath to give ; other gifts he gives promiscuously to 
good and bad ; so as no man knoweth love or hatred 
by any thing that is before him; Eccl. ix. 1. Judas 
had the bag, and Dives fared deliciously every day, 
when Lazarus would have been glad of his crumbs ; 
but God never gives this gift to any but whom he 
loves with his dearest, special and eternal love. 

Suppose some prince w r ould woo a great lady, 
and had a great jewel worth a million, it may be 
he would scatter pieces of silver, or give some slight 
tokens of favour unto the servants: but the rich 
jewel that he gives to his spouse; this jewel is Christ. 
Abraham may give to Ishmael a bottle of milk ; 
but Isaac had the inheritance. 

Fourthly, The Lord Jesus is the rarest gift of all 
others whatsoever ; Christ is a gift given to very 
ftew, here one and there another; millions of mill- 
ions perish for not knowing and trusting in Christ ; 
O ! what a rare jewel is Christ ! Though our souls 
are more worth than a world, yet a world of souls is 
not worth Christ ; it is he that makes us blessed in 
life, happy in death, and.glorious after death. 

Fifthly, The* Lord Jesus is the sweetest gift of 
all others ; for if God gives us Christ, then he gives 
us all other gifts in his love, and they become a 
blessing sweetened to us ; They that have this good 
shall want no good ; The young lions do lack and 
suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall 
not want any good thing, Psal. xxxiv. ]0. Now 
put all this together, and you will see Christ to be 
most precious. 



THE ELECT PRECIOUS, 131 

thirdly. He is altogether precious; I told you 
the last day that Christ is precious; and indeed I 
told* you the truth; for they are not my sayings, 
but God's sayings, therefore they are true; he is 
all precious; there is nothing in Christ but what 
is precious; he is amiable and desirable; he is 
fullness and sweetness, greatness and goodness, light 
life and happiness. .Believers enjoy all things in 
Christ, Christ iu all things: he is the joy of a be- 
liever's life, and the life of a believer's joy. Oh! 
sirs Christ is precious, He is very precious Christ, 
is most precious, He is always precious, Christ 
is altogether precious to the believing soul. 

First . His name is precious, he is called a preci- 
ons stone, Isa. xxviii. 16. Christ is there called a 
precious stone. Secondly, His blood is precious in 
1. Pet. i. 9. His blood is here called precious 
blood; ay, and well it may, for a drop of his blood 
is worth a sea of ours; and yet he died our death, 
that we might live his life. Thirdly, Faith is preci- 
ous, in 2 Pet. i. 1: Faith is there called precious, 
the least grain of faith is more worth than all the 
gold in Europe. Fourthly, His promises are preci- 
ous, 2 Pet. ix. 4 Giving us exceeding great and 
precious promises. Why great, and why precious? 
They are great for extent, and precious for their 
excellencies. Pro v. iii. 15. More precious than 
rubies; all things thou canst desire, are not to be 
compared to them. Sixthly, His members are pre- 
cious, Isa. xliii. 4. Since thou hast been precious 
in my sight, thou hast been honorable. Here you 
see the members of Christ are called precious. 



id'2 THE ELECT PRECIOUS, 

A believer indeed is a raven in the world's eye* 
but a dove in Christ's eye; the saints in the world's 
account are dung and dirt, but in God's account 
they are jewels and pearls: graceless men look upon 
God's people as craftaways; but God will give 
whole kingdoms for their ransom; wicked men may 
call the saints factious; but God calls the saints pre- 
cious. Indeed sirs, the scoffers and jeerers of the 
people of God in other ages, were but bunglers to 
the scoffers and jeerers of God in our age: well, 
there is a time coming, when Christ will laugh at 
the ungodly, for now laughing at godliness. Though 
holiness be that which the sinner scorns, yet holiness 
is that which a Saviour crowns; as you expect hap- 
piness from God above, so God expects holiness 
from you below; therefore be godly as the godly. 

Seventhly. The reproaches of Christ are precious; 
Heb xi. 26; Esteeming the reproaches of Christ 
greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. 

I beseech you mark* it is not said, that Moses 
did esteem the person of Christ, or the privileges of 
Christ, or the glory of Christ greater riches than the 
treasures of Egypt. Oh? beloved the worst of 
Christ is better than the best in the world; Christ's 
Cross is sweeter than the world's crown: the reproach 
es of Christ are greater richeg than the treasures of 
Egypt. Esteeming the reproaches of Christ great- 
er riches than the treasures of Egypt. Will you 
give me leave to tell you that which few believe, 
and it is that afflictions be good and gracious. Few 
believe this truth that afflictions are good and pre- 




THE Ji.LH.CT I'ilECIOUS. 133 

cious; and let me tell you it is a great truth, and 
this I shall make appear. Now beloved if I can 
prove that afflictions and reproaches for Christ be 
good and precious, which is the worst of Christ, 
then you will conclude with me that Christ is all 
precious. 

F irst, That must needs be good that comes from 
the only good; now afflictions come from God, who 
is the only good; Psal. xxxix, 9. I was dumb and 
opened not my mouth, saith David: Why? Because 
thou didst it. I was silent and did not speak: Why 
David? because thou didst it. 

Secondly, That must be good which was suffered 
by the sweetest good; now afflictions were endured 
by Christ who is the sweetest good: He was a man 
of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Isa. xiii. 1 

Thirdly , That must needs be good which fits and 
prepares us for a glorious estate, the eternal good. 
Now this doth afflictions: It was good for me that 
I was afflicted. Sirs, do you believe king David? 
Will you believe David a Christian? Will you be- 
lieve David a saint? Will you believe David a man 
after God's own heart? Why he tells you, it was 
good for him he was afflicted. But you will say 
why was it so good? Look in Psal. cxix. 67, and 
there is the reason. For, saith he, before I was 
afflicted I went astray. A very satisfactory answer, 
and therefore it was good for me that I was afflicted. 
So again in 2. Cor. iv. 17. For our light afflictions 
which are but for a moment, work for us, What 
work they? a far more exceeding weight of glory. 



184 THE ELECT PRECIOUS. 

Do you know what they work for us? Why, a far 
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 

O Christian! under your greatest troubles lieth 
your greatest treasures; afflictions are good, but not 
pleasant; sin is pleasant, but not good; but there is 
more evil in a drop of corruption than there is in 
a sea of afflictions. God by afflictions separates the 
sin he hates so deadly from the soul he loves so 
dearly; by the greatest affliction, God teacheth us 
the greatest instruction: and a believer when he lies 
under that hand that doth afflict him, he lies in the 
heart that doth affect him: believers are crucified by 
ihe world: the flesh is an enemy to suffering, because 
suffering is an enemy to the flesh: it may make a 
man an early courtier, but it cannot make a man a 
heavenly martyr: they that carry not the yoke of 
Christ upon their necks, will never carry the cross 
of Christ upon their backs: but a believer studies 
more how to adorn the cross than how to avoid the 
cross: none so courageous as those that are religious: 
a believer never falls asleep, for Jesus till he falls 
asleep in Jesus; some glory in that which is their 
shame, and shall we be ashamed of that which is 
our glory? It is an honor to be dishonored for Jesus 
Christ: tell me, O believer, is not Christ with his 
cross better than the world with its crown? Suppose 
Christian, the furnace be heated seven times hotter, 
it is but to make you seven times better; fiery trials 
make golden Christians; sin hath brought many a 
believer unto suffering, and suffering hath kept many 
a believer from sinning: they that here be crossed 




THE ELECT PHECIOUS. 185 

for well living, shall be crowned for well-dying; the 
losing of our heads, makes way for receiving of our 
crown: God will season our vessels with water of 
affliction, before he pours in the wine of glory. By 
this you see, beloved , that the reproaches of Christ 
are precious, It is better to be preserved in brine 
than to rot in honey. 

Fourthly. Jesus Christ is always precious to 
believers, he is more precious to them than a thou- 
sand worlds: because he is with them in all their 
trials, in all their troubles, in all their straits, and 
in all their afflictions. In all their afflictions he 
was afflicted, saith the text. O, sirs, who would 
not suffer with such a companion as this? When 
thou passest through the waters I will be with thee, 
R»d through the rivers they shall not overthrow thee 
tvhen thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not 
be burned, neither shall the flames kindle upon thee, 
Isa. xiii. 2. Do you see this Christians, Christ i's 
With you in the fire, in the water, in the prison; in 
all .places, and at all times: He never leaves or for- 
sakes you, Heb. xiii. 5. He beds and boards with 
you; he lieth down and riseth up with you: Jesus 
Christ is called a friend, and indeed he is our best 
friend; Cant. v. 16. This is my beloved, and this is 
my friend, O ye daughters of Jerusalem. 

1. Jesus Christ is a faithful friend. 2. He is a 
prudent friend. 3. A careful and providing friend. 
4. A compassionate friend. 5. A constant friend* 
6. A loving friend. 7. An everlasting friend. 

He loves us to the end and there is no end of his 



136 THK JvLKCT PRKCIOU*. 

love; he that gave his image to us, loves his image 
in us: Jesus Christ gave himself to us, and for us, 
he loves us in himself, and as himself. Oh what a 
sweet friend is Christ! God in giving Christ to us, 
gave his very heart for us. Now beloved, how can 
Jesus Christ be but always precious to a believer, 
who is thus always with a believer. 

Fifthly and lastly. Why is Jesus Christ so pre- 
cious to believers? 

First, because he is a believer's life; Col.iii. 4. 
When Christ who is our life, shall appear, then 
shall we appear with him in glory. 

First there is a threefoldlife that flows from Christ; 
a life of grace, a life of comfort, a life of glory. 

Secondly, Jesus Christ is precious to believers, 
because he is their light; alas! alas! till we be ia 
Christ we be in darkness: It is in his light that we 
see light, Eph. v. 14. Awake thou that steepest, 
and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee 
light. 

Thirdly, Christ is precious to believers because 
he is their food: My flesh is meat indeed, and ngr 
blood is drink indeed: Johnvi. 55. Oh! what choice 
fare have they to feed on, that have Christ to feed 
on! Oh! soul, whoever thou art that hast not Christ 
to feed on, thy bread is but perishing bread. 

Fourthly, Christ is precious to believers, because 
he is their strength, take a man that is out of 
Christ , he hath no strength to withstand or to 
overcome; without mc, ?aiih Christ, ye can do noth- 
ing; John. xv. o. When we were without strength 



THE ELECT PRECIOUS. 137 

Christ died for us. To be without Christ, and to 
be without strength, is all one. 

Fifthly* Jesus Christ is precious to believers be- 
cause he is their righteousness and holiness. 

Sixthly j Jesus Christ is precious to believers, 
because he is their portion; he is the terror of his 
enemies and the portion of his people. 

I might in a few particulars anatomze the believ- 
er, and be^in with his head, and show you all that 
he knows oi the things of God, he is beholden to 
Christ for it; £aith Paul, God who hath shined in 
our hearts by the light of the gospel in the face of 
Christ. All the knowledge of God, all the gospel 
light, all the knowledge of spiritual things, we have 
all from Christ. If we -consider the believer in his 
heart, if we find there a broken heart, a tender 
heart, a good and honest heart, a new covenant 
heart; how comes he by this; why he hath it from 
him, in whom the new covenant is made, and that 
is Christ. Consider the believer in his graces, as 
faith, love, patience, humility, and the rest; he hath 
all from Christ. John i. 6. Of all his fulness we 
have all received, and grace for grace. There is not 
one grace but we have it from Christ. Consider 
him in his life, he is an honest and just man: Who 
made him to differ? Why he is not so full of cheat- 
ing tricks as other men? Why? He hath not so lern- 
ed Christ; Christ teacheth him to live more holy 
than others do: so that if the believer be better than 
others in this, he may say, thanks be to Christ, for 
that before I lived so vainly as others did; but now 



138 'mi; ejukcj v.k&ciqvs^ 

I have not so learned Christ. Consider the believ- 
er in his privileges; he is the son of God, and it 
is by the Son of God that he is the son of God. 
John i. 12. To as many as received him gave he 
power to become the sons of God, even to them that 
believe on his name. So that if he be the son of 
God, he must thank Christ for it; if he be one of 
the family royal, one of the chosen generation, he 
must thank Christ; for it is in and by him alone 
that we have all the good which we enjoy. Con- 
sider him in his comforts; he hath not one good 
day, but it is from Christ; hath he comfort in ordi- 
nances, in the society of saints and prayer? He must 
thank Christ for all this. 

Thus I have given you a brief anatomy of the 
christian, and showed you that Christ is all in all; 
whatever he is worth, he is beholden to Christ for it. 

Now put all this together, and see what great rea- 
sons there is that Christ should be precious to be- 
lievers: and is it any wonder that these souls be en- 
amoured so with Christ, that they think their lives 
not worth the living but for him, and in him, and 
for his sake. O, sirs, there is great reason, why be- 
lievers set so high a value and esteem upon Christ 
who is their all in all. 

Application. The first shall be for examination 
ind self trial. You have heard that Christ is pre- 
vious, precious to God, to angels, to saints: but now 
Oh soul, is Christ precious to thy soul? If Christ 
be precious to you, then all that which is precious to 
Christ is precious to yon 



THE ELECT PRECIOUS, 139 

Oh, that men would but deal justly with their own 
souls! many talk of grace, but few taste of grace, 
every one doth not walk like a christian that talks 
like a christian; many know what is to be done, but 
never do what is to be known; many wear Christ's 
livery and do the devil's drudgery; many have hands 
as white as woo!, and their hearts as black as hell, 
many think themselves as surely going to heaven, as 
if they were already dwelling in heaven: many think 
it shall go well with them hereafter, because it is so 
well with them here; many lie down with such hopes 
in their beds of rest, which they dare not lie down 
withal in their beds of dust; many appear righteous 
who are only righteous in their appearance; but 
such as deceive others with a false show of holiness 
will deceive themselves with a false show of happi- 
ness. Eemember Christians, that the sheep's coat* 
shall be taken off from the wolf's back. If there 
be nothing done by your souls on earth, there will 
be nothing done for your souls in heaven; there is 
no making out our salvation, but by working out our 
salvation.- 

God binds up none in the bundle of life, but such 
as are the heirs of life: there is no living a life that 
is not virtuous, and then dying a death that is righ- 
teous. O therefore examine yourselves. I shall 
propose four questions to be resolved by your own 
hearts. 

1. What interest have you in him? 2. What in- 
fluences have you from him? 3. What affections 
bear you to him? 4. What preparations make you 
for him? 



140 THE ELECT PRECIOUS. 

O! Christians that you would consider well ,these 
things! Tell me, O soul, what did Judas get by his 
deceitful dealings? Nothing but a halter, in which 
his body was hanged, and a fire in which his soul 
was burned. Though the earth may keep a wick- 
ed man living,yet heaven will not take a wicked man 
dying; I say therefore examine yourselves. 

Secondly, I shall speak a little by way of exhor- 
tation, and conclude. 1. If Jesus Christ be so 
precious, O then open the door of your affections 
to Christ, that C hrist may open the door of salva- 
tion to you; open to the God of glory, that he may 
make you glorious. Behold the God of heaven 
stands at the door of your hearts and knocks, Rev. 
iii. 20. Behold I stand at the door and knock, if 
any man hear my voice and open the door I will 
come in to him, and sup with him, and he with 
me. He knocks by his word, by his rod, by 
his Spirit, by his mercies, by his judgments, by con- 
science, and all is, that he may come in and sup 
with you. Now sinners., will not you open the 
door of your hearts to Christ, that He may open 
the door of heaven to you? If you shut Christ 
out of your hearts, he will shut you out of heaven; 
and what will you get by that? Oh! sirs, he hath 
gold to enrich you, wine to cheer you, bread to 
nourish you, righteousness to justify you* mercy 
to save you, happiness to crown you. 

Secondly. Let all that which is precious to God 
be precious to you. 1. The son of God. 2 The 
book of God. 3. The day of God. 4. The ordi- 



THE ELECT PRECIOUS. 141 

nances of God. 5. The ministers of God. 6. The 
people or" God. 

Ob! let the&e be pecious to you: the people of 
God are very precious to you: a saint is as glj 
his greatest misery, as a sinner 
greatest glory. TBe Lord ^«. j . • ing 
uhu hath been delivered. 



WONDERFUL. 

He is altogether lovely. — Cant. 5 16. 

DOCTRINE:~-That Jesus Christ is infinitely 
and superlatively lovely. 

To be in a state of grace, is to be miserable no 
more, is to be happy forever. Faith, which unites 
Christ and sanctified souls together on earth; and 
love that unites God and glorified souls together in 
heaven. Oh! believers, you are those worthies of 
whom the world is not worthy; Jesus Christ from 
one saint hath more glory given to him than he re- 
ceiveth from all the world besides. We owe not on- 
ly our service to Christ, but we owe ourselves to 
Christ. 



142 WONDERFUL. 

I shall now make some entrance upou our Lord 
Jesus Christ's seventh famous title, which is Won- 
derful. This is one of Jesus Christ's lovely titles; 
in Isa. ix. 6: He shall be called Wonderful. The 
point that we shall lay m down, and speak to from 
hence, is this. 

Doct. That a believers' Saviour is a wonderful 
Saviour. 

He is wonderful in the eyes of all angels and 
saints for love. The world and devils for fear won-* 
derathim. 

For the opening of this excellent point, take these 
particulars: 1. Christ is wonderful in his nature. 
2. He is wonderful in his person. 3. He is won- 
derful in his carnation* 4. He is wonderful in his 
saints. 5. He is wonderful in his offices. 6. He is 
wonderful in his miracles that he wrought. 7. He 
is wonderful in his humiliation. 8. He is wonder- 
ful in his conquest. 9. He is wonderful in his ascen- 
sion. 10. He is wonderful in his exhortation. 11. 
He is wonderful in his working towards his saints. 
Lastly. He is wonderful in his coming to judgement. 

Some have more time than matter, but I have 
now more matter than time; therefore I must omit 
much precious matter, for want of precious time. 
Beloved, I will handle but one of these particulars, 
and that is the seventh. 

That Jesus Christ is wonderful in his humiliation. 

This is the head we shall now insist upon, and 
indeed this is one of the greatest wonders of all, that 
he that was so high should bz brought so low; that 



woNDEiirt;*,. 143 

he that was so rich should become so poor: that the 
Lord of life should die, and the great God to be- 
come a babe, and the eternal Word not able to speak 
a word, ami he that made the law should be made 
under the lav/; he that was more excellent than all 
the angels should become less and lower than the 
angels. Oh! ye angels, how stand ye amazed at 
this, that the lord of heaven and earth should be- 
come a servant to hts own servants! Phil ii. 7. He 
took upon him the form of a servant. This must 
needs be wonderful to all the angels in heaven. 

But to proceed. First, Jesus Christ took upon 
him our nature, Heb ii. 16. God could stoop no 
lower than to become man. and man could be ad- 
vanced no higher than to be united to God. He 
that before mad& man a soul after the image of God 
now made himself a body after the image of man: 
for man to be like God is a wonder, but for God to 
be like man is a greater wonder: but when was it 
that Jesus Christ took upon him our nature? When 
it was innocency, free from all misery and calamity? 
No, but when it was at the lowest after the fall, 
when it was most beggarly, most wretched, most 
bloody, most accursed, most sinful, most feeble. 
When we were without strength, Christ died for 
the ungodly, saith the apostle, Rom. v. 6. 

Now, my brethren, that Jesus Christ should t&ki 
upon him our condition, our frailty, our curse, our 
nature when it was thus low,thus poor,thu$ wretched; 
Oh! this is a wonder of wonders, and yet thus you 
see did Jesus Christ. Oh wonderful repentance! 



144 WONDERFUL. 

must God take upon him our frailty? Had we so faf 
run upon the score of vengeance, that none could justi- 
\t God himself? Could he not send his angels or 
at must come himself in person? No, no, 
, saints could not do it: but if Christ will 
s, he himself must come and die torus. 
j/id/ij, Our Saviour's humility descended very 
; he was bora of a poor maid, of no account or 
^ nation. W** there never a great lady or gentle- 
woman in Jerusalem for this great Prince of heaven 
and earth to be born of, but that he must be born 
oi a poor despised virgin? Yea, certainly, there 
were gentlewomen in Jerusalem, but our Lord Jesus 
Christ regarded not the rich more than the poor. 

Second, he was revealed to poor shepherds, not 
emperors and kings,, not to rulers and great men, 
not to doctors and learned men, not to Cesar at Rome. 
I say the angels did not go and declare these joyful 
tidings to Cesar at Rome, but to poor shepherds in 
the fields, Luke. ii. 8. 

Thirdly, He was born in a stable: Luke ii. 12. 
Not in a fair house or palace,not in a parlor or cham- 
ber; no, but in a stable where horses and beasts ara 
fed. 

Fourthly, He was wrapt up in clothes and laid 
in a manger, they were no clothes of fine linen, 
or silks, no clothes of silver and gold, nor precious 
robes, but poor and mean like beggar's rags. Now 
beloved put all these together, and tell me what is 
more wonderful than this? Oh! humility, humility, 
^ow great is thy riches that are thus commended to 



WONDERFUL. 145 

us? Thou pleasest men, delighteth angels, con- 
foundeth devils, and bringeth the creator to a man- 
ger. Oh sweet Jesus, thou conquerest death by dy- 
ing. 

Thirdly. The third wonder in Christs humilia- 
tion is this, he became poor. He that was so rich 
and possessed all things, became so poor that he 
had nothing; he that made Heaven and earth had no 
habitation; he that gives crowns of victory, of life to 
others, had no crowns himself here, but a crown of 
thorns: The foxes and fowls had more than Jesus 
Christ. Mat.viii. 20; The foxes have holes and 
the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man 
hath not where to lay his head. The foxes had 
holes to lay their heads in, but Christ had not a 
place to lay his head on. As he was born in an- 
other man's house, so he was buried in another 
man's tomb. You know saith the apostle, the 
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, though he was rich 
yet he became poor: 2 Cor vi. 9. Yet he became 
poor, ay, poor indeed, and so poor that he had not 
a penny. You will say that a man is very poor 
who hath not a penny; truly such a one was Christ; 
he had not a penny to pay tribute till he got it of 
a fish; Mat xvii. 27, And when he was to ride in 
pomp to Jerusalem, he had no coach, no chariot, no 
horse, no beast of his own; he was fain to ride upon 
another man's ass; Mat xxi. 2. Oh! ye blessed 
saints, admire and wonder at this, is not he the 
brightness of God, the paradise of angels, the beau- 
tv of heaven, the redeemer of man, the destroyer of 



146 WONDERFUL. 

death* the king of saints! And that he should be- 
come so poor for us! Oh! this is a wonder to angels 
and men. 

Fourthly. The fourth wonder in Christ's humil- 
iation is this; that he shed his blood six times for 
poor sinners: and this is a great wonder. 

First. The first time was when he was circum- 
cised at eight days old. O what a blessed Jesus is 
this? What, ready for the sacrifice already? What 
but eight days old, and shed his blood for the sal- 
vation of men's poor souls. 

Secondly. The second time was when he was 
inhis agony in the garden. Mathew tells us, that 
his soul began to be sorrowful, sore amazed [saith 
Mark] Mark. xiv. To be troubled [saith John] 
Johnxii. Now my soul is troubled; what shall I 
say? Save me from this hour. Troubled, O Lord 
what? Thou that bindest up the proud waves of the 
sea, turneth the hearts of kings as rivers of waters, 
thou that laidst the foundations of the earth and 
spreadest the heavens as a curtain; thou that guidest 
the stars,and thunderest in the clouds; thou that up- 
holdest all things by the word of thy power; and 
what, thou troubled? Oh the horror, terror, and 
sorrow that seized upon the soul of Chrrst! Saith 
Luke he began to be in an agony, Luke. 44. xxii. 
He began to be in agony and he sweat. What 
no natural sweat! but blood! he was in a bloody 
sweat all over, he sweat clots of blood, as the origin* 
al bath it. 

Oh! how did Jesus Christ come swimming to us 



WONDERFUL. . 147 

in blood, and have we not a tear to shed fpr all 
these streams of his? We did eat the sour grapes 
and his teeth were set on edge; we climbed the tree 
and stole forbidden fruit, and Christ went up the 
ladder of the cross and died; Oh how lovely should 
Christ be in our eyes! We should wear his crucifix 
in our hearts, and treasure it up as Moses did the 
manna in the pot. Christ's cross, saith he, is the 
golden key that lets us into paradise, and the angel 
with aflaming sword is turned out. His red blood 
washed away our sins. 

But thirdly. He shed his blood for us when his 
cheeks were nipt and torn: the plucking off the hair, 
as the prophet speaks, Isa i. 6. I ga % ve my back to 
the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked 
off the hair. Some be of the opinion that Christ's 
cheeks were rent to his very chin, and his beard was 
pulled off, both very likely to be true; neither of them 
could be without much blood! for we find that the 
soldiers did blindfold him, and then smote him on 
the face, and bade him read who it was that smote; 
they made sport of it, Luke. xxii. 64. O how was 
that face of his massacre and covered with blood, 
that was brighter than the sun! He that was fairer 
than the sons of men; he that is the great glittering 
and sparkling diamond of the ring of glory; How 
was he bespotted and besmeared with blood! O! ye 
hard of heart, ye stubborn of heart, and indeed too 
stubborn are we all, if judgement and the hammer 
will not break your hearts, let love and mercy do it. 
Look unto Christ and say; Hast thou suffered this 



148 WONDERFUL. 

for me, and shall I not love thee, O Lord ! servethee 
obey thee, and honor thee ? So say and so do, and 
the Lord say Amen. 

But then fourthly ', Christ shed his blood when 
the crown of prickling thorns was put upon his 
head; Math, xxvii. Some of the fathers say that he 
received seventy three wounds in his head; certainly 
there could not but much blood coma out: Oh ! 
what a sight was this to behold; that head of his, 
which was as the most fine gold, as the spouse ex- 
pressed it to be, now covered with thorns, and rent 
with thorns ! that he should wear the prickly crown 
of sharp thorns ! that was fit to wear the crown of 
glory. 

Fifthly. A fifth time when he shed his blood 
was when his hands and feet were nailed to the 
cross; those beautiful feet of his that came skipping 
upon the mountains bringing the glad tidings of 
peace and salvation, skipping (saith Gregory) from 
the throne to the cradle, from the cradle to the cross 
and from the cross to the throne again. How were 
those blessed hands of his nailed and made fast to 
the cross! O ye blessed spirits, look down from 
heaven and you may see the Almighty kneel at the 
feet of men. O ye angels! how should ye be ama- 
zed at this, to see your lord and master so far de- 
ny himself, as to take upon him the form of a ser- 
vant! We saw Jesus, saith the apostle, made a lit- 
tle lower than the angels. To suffer death the Cre- 
ator not only became a creature, but inferior to 
s ome of the creatures which he had made. O ye 



WONDERFUL. 149 

blessed saints! Why do ye not wonder at this won- 
der, to see the beauty of heaven, the paradise of 
angels, the brightness of his Father's glory, the Re- 
deemer of man, thus to humble and take upon him 
coin's nature, for the salvation of man's soul. 

Sixthly and lastly, Christ shed his blood when 
the spear was thrust into his side, out of which 
presently gushed water and blood; John. xxix. 34. 
Some say that the soldier that pierced Christ with 
a spear was a blind iron, but our Saviour's blood 
sprinkling out upon his ores, restored him to sight, 
and he became a convert, a preacher, a martyr. You 
will say, a very strange cure, that the physician 
should bleed, and his blood should have that virtue 
that we should all be saved. Physicians be usual- 
ly liberal of other men's blood, but sparing of 
their own;. but it is not so with our physician; in- 
stead of the patient's bleeding in the arm, he bled 
in the side; Why dost thou shower down thy blood? 
and come swimming in thy blood? Is not a droy 
sufficient? One drop, saith Luther, is more worth 
than heaven and earth. O love without measure! 
O wonderful redemption! That God should take 
upon him man's frailty, that is wonderful indeed! 
it is enough for a king to pardon a thief, but that 
the king himself should die for the malefactor, that 
is beyond expression! Thus did our blessed Lord, 
our blessed Saviour: he died that we might live: he 
went and suffered in his agony, that he might stay 
us with flagons, and comfort us with apples; he 
endured the greatest pain that we might e.joy the 



160 WONDERFUL. 

greatest pleasures. O how lovely was Christ in his 
sufferings! Who would not love thee, thou king of 
saints? Christian, consider how much thy dear 
Lord and Saviour hath suffered and undergone for 
thee . O precious blood! it redeems us, it cleanseth 
us, it washeth us, it justifieth us: it sanctifieth us, 
it restoreth us to God, and bringeth us to heaven. 

Fifthly. Another wonder in Christ's humiliation 
is this. He suffered in his soul; Math. xxvi. 38. 
My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death, 
saith Christ. O what a word was this for God to 
speak! to say, My soul is exceeding sorrowful even 
unto death! For a man to say so, is no wonder, but 
for God to say so. O this is a great wonder indeed! 
The suffering of his soul is the soul of sufferings; 
Christ yieldeth his soul for our souls, his soul in 
our soul's stead. 

Many of the faithful servants have suffered much 
in their bodies, as the martyrs that were racked, 
bn:*!if and saivn asunder: but they had much free- 
dom in their souls, their souls were full of much 
spiritual jo. and c-nmfcvt. But now Jesus Christ 
did not Oiily suffer in his bodv, but in his soulr and 
tliot is it which makes the wonder the greater, that 
Christ suffered in bis soul. He drank the cup of 
affliction, that we might drink the cup of consola- 
tion; he tasted death for us, that we might taste life 
through him; Christ was forsaken, that we .might 
never be forsaken. 

A sixth wonder in Christ's humiliation is this, 
that Jesus Christ should suffer himself to be so 



WONDERFUL. J5l 

much mocked; he was mocked as Sampson was by 
the Philistines when his eyes were put out. And 
truly this is a great wonder. 

1. If we consider who Christ was. 2. If we 
consider who they were that mocked him. Christ 
was God, the God man; they were but dust and 
ashes. 

1. They did spit upon him. 2. They blindfold* 
ed him. 3. They crowned him with thorns. 4. 
They put a reed into his hand instead of a sceptre. 
5. They clothed him with purple garments. 6. 
They bowed their knees to him in scorn. 7. 
They saluted him with hail king of the Jews. 8. 
They made him carry bis own cross on which he 
was to be hanged; as malefactors with halters about 
their necks to execution, so they made Christ carry 
the cross. 9. They reviled him, wagging their 
heads. 10. They crucified him with two thieves 
and him in the midst of them, as though he had 
been the prince of thieves, the greatest malefactor 
of them all. 11. They exsulted over him in his 
misery. Thus they never left him till his soul left 
the world: and all this they did in scorn to him. 
that they might make his death the more painful 
and shameful: O sirs, this is no small wonder, if 
we consider how Jesus Christ was mocked. 

The seventh wonder in the humiliation of Christ 
was this, he suffered much from his Father; here 
is a wonder, if 3 ou talk of wonders. Jesus Christ 
did not only suffer from Jews and Gentiles, Scribes 
and Phari^e^ Judas and Pilate, wicked men and 



152 WONDERFUL. 

devils; but he suffers too from his father; and this is 
that which makes the wonder the greater, Isa. liii. 
10. It pleased the Lord to bruise him, he hath 
put him to grief. Mark, one would have thought, 
if God would spare any it should have been his 
Son, his own Son, his beloved Son, his begotten 
Son, his bosom Son; and yet God spared him not 
a jot; Rom. vii. 32. He that spared not his own 
Son, but delivered him up for us all; mark here, 
God did not spare him, but delivered him up for us. 
If Jesus Christ will come and take our sins upon 
him, God will not spare him, but let out the fulness 
of justice and justice to the full upon him, till he 
hath paid the utmost farlhing. O blessed Jesus, didst 
thou undergo so much for our sinning, for our of- 
fending, for our rebelling? O then, what infinite 
cause have we to love thee, obey thee, and honor 
thee! For the more he hath done and suffered for 
us, the dearer he ought to be unto us. 

Eighthly \ The last wonder that I shall mention 
is this, Christ foresaw all this, and yet he willing- 
ly undertook it to save mankind : Christ knew be- 
fore he came from heaven, how his countrymen the 
Jews would use him, and that one of his family 
would betray him : John vi. 64, saith the text, Je* 
sus knew from the beginning who should betray 
him ; nothing was in the womb of time that was 
not first in the womb of Christ ; he knew it from 
the beginning, saith the text. Now that the Lord 
Jesus Christ should foreknow all this most wonder- 
ful misery that he endured, yet that he should come 



WONDERFUL. 153 

freely, willingly, and joyfully from heaven to die 
and suffer by, and for such poor wretches as we are, 
here is a wonder to angels and men; Heb. x. 9, Lo 
I come, saith Christ, to do thy will, O God. Lo, 
I come, and what was it he was to do ? Why, to 
suffer for poor man, to redeem poor man. Do you 
see here what great love Christ bore to his people, 
rather than they should be in hell, and be damned, 
Jesus Christ w r ou!d come from heaven and suffer all 
this for them, though he knew before how he should 
be used : O this is a great wonder, dear Christians! 
Methinks such a pearl should sparkle in our eyes. 
We sail to glory, not in the salt seas of our tears, 
but in the red-sea of Christ's blood. Truly it is 
wonderful to think how much Jesus Christ did for 
us, and how little w r e do for him : the greater his 
sufferings were, the greater was our sins : the great- 
er his pain was, the greater should our love be to 
him. I shall make of this point an use of informa- 
tion, and exhortation. 

Use. i. Is it so, that a believer's Savior is a 
wonderful Savior? Then it informs us of eight 
things. 

First, My first inference is this, That Christ's 
sufferings, in what he endured from men in his bo- 
dy and what he suffered from God in his soul. — 
Christ did not only endure pain in his body, but ag- 
ony in his soul. Oh, the sea of sufferings, the sea 
of sorrow, the sea of blood, the sea of tears that 
our blessed Savior waded through, to come and 
bring peace to our souls, salvation io our souls ? 



154 WONDERFUL. 

grace and glory to our souls ! He suffered from 
devils, he suffered in his name, he suffered in his 
body, • he suffered in his soul : the cause was our 
sins; the effect, our salvation. If you look through 
the chronicle of his life, you will find it full of 
sorrow and misery : he was persecuted, he wa? 
tempted, he was reproached, he was falsely accused, 
he was apprehended, he was betrayed, he was cru- 
cified. What shall we say? Shall we say more? 
He was so full of sorrow, he took his name from 
sorrow: our Lord Jesus is called a man of sorrows, 
Isa. liii. 3, A man of sorrows and acquainted with 
grief. Now judge whether Christ's life was not 
full of sorrows, he took his name from sorrow. O 
sweet Jesus, thy sufferings were great. This is my 
first inference. 

Secondly, Jesus Christ suffered by himself. He 
was alone in his sufferings, neither angels nor saints 
bore any part with Christ in his sufferings : no Le 
drank the bitter cup alone; he alone purged our sins: 
Heb. i. 3. He alone, by himself, saith the text, 
purged our sins. No, Christ hath none to help to 
bear his heavy burden with him, he bore it himself 
alone. But my beloved, though our Lord Jesus 
Christ suffered by himself, yet he did not suffer for 
himself; he suffered for that which we deserved, 
Isa. liii. 4, 5, He hath borne our griefs, and carried 
our sorrows : he was wounded for our transgressions, 
he was bruised for our iniquities : the chastisement 
of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we 
are healed. Do you see here, Christians, how ma- 
ny hours arc here? our griefs* 0Ui ' sorrows, our 



WONDERFUL. 155 

transgressions, our iniquities, our peace j you have 
here five ours. So again for our sakes he became 
poor; 2d Cor. viii. 9. Mark, for our sakes; be- 
loved, he was born for us. Unto us a child is born: 
he was given up for us, to us a son is given ; Isai. 
ix. 6. He was made a curse for us, Gal. iii. 13. 
The text tells us, he was made a curse but it was 
for us; he was delivered up for us ; Romans, viii., 
Who spared not his own Son, but delivered him up 
for us all. O sirs ! all these things were for us, 
given for us, made a curse for us, made sin for us, 
delivered up for us, and is now in heaven interced- 
ing for us: Heb. vii. 25. So that, my brethren, all 
that our Lord Jesus suffered, it was not for himself 
but it was for us : our blessed Savior suffered for 
us, that we might not suffer. That is the second 
inference. 

Thirdly, My third is this: That this is more 
for Christ to suffer anything, than for all men and 
angels to suffer all things. Pray mark, sirs, if all 
the kings and emperors should have left their thrones, 
their crowns, their kingdoms, their sceptres, their 
glory, their honors and princely robes, and have 
come and took upon them a poor Lazarus' condi- 
tion, to go on poorly, and fare hardly, and die 
shamefully. Why, all this had not been so much, 
as for Jesus Christ the Son of God to suffer the 
least thing he did suffer. Now further, I say, if all 
the angels in heaven, and men on earth, had come 
and suffered and died ten thousand deaths, it had 
not been so much, put all together, as it was for 



156 WONDEHFULe 

Christ to suffer anything; because they are crea. 
tures, he is the Creator: they are servants, he the 
master; they are subjects, he the Prince; they are 
m ean, he is mighty; he is the King of kings, and 
Lord of lords : He thought it no robbery to be equal 
with God, Phil. ii. 6. Now I say, it would not 
have heen half such a wonder, if all the angels in 
heaven and men on earth had come and suffered, as 
it was for the Son of God. Oh! this is a wonder 
of wonders: his sufferings were wonderful, his hu- 
mility "was wonderful, his patience was wcnderftil, 
his love was wonderful ; -greater love could no man 
show ; he loved us so that he died for love. Now 
I beseech you consider this inference, which was 
this, That it is more for Jesus Christ to suffer any- 
thing than for all men and angels to suffer all things. 
And indeed, let me tell you, I want words to express 
it, or set it forth; for there is both want of words, 
and want in words to express this matter. 

Fourthly, My fourth inference is this, in what 
miserable case lay we, that our Lord and Savior Je- 
sus Christ must endure all this, bear all this, under- 
go all this for poor sinners ? In what a miserable 
case we lay in, think you ? Certainly the misery 
of man was very great, that man should need such 
redemption as this ; Oh ! what a breach had srn 
made between God and us, that the Son of God 
must come from heaven to earth to suffer all this ? 
Oh! mischievous sin, I say, mischievious sin hath 
undone us ; sin hath robbed every one of six jewels, 
every one of which jewels are worth more than 



WONDERFUL. 157 

heaven and earth: would you know what jewels 
they be that sin hath robbed us of ? I will tell you, 
and then you will say with me, that we were in a 
very miserable case. 

1st, It robs us of the image of God. Was 
not this a precious jewel, think you? I say it rob- 
bed us of the image of God and drew in man the 
devil's picture ; malice is in the devil's eye, oppres- 
sion is ki the devil's hand, blasphemy is the devil's 
tongue, and hypocrisy 'in the devil's cloven foot. 

2d. Sin robs us of our sonship, and makes us 
slaves to the devil, slaves to sin, or slaves to the 
world, and slaves to ourselves; this is another jew- 
el we have lost. 

3d. It robs us of our friendship with God, and 
makes us enemies to God, enemies to Christ, ene- 
mies to our own souls, and enemies to all that is 
good. 

4th. It robs us of our communion and fellowship 
with Father, Son and Spirit, and makes us stran- 
gers and aliens. 

bih. It robs us of our rights and privileges of 
heaven and heavenly things, and makes us children 
of wrath and heirs of hell. 

6//?. It robs us of our honor and glory, and 
makes us vile and miserable ; as you may see, Isa. 
l. 6, There is no soundness in us; but wounds, 
bruises and putrifying sores. 

Now put all this together, and then see, whether 
or no we are miserable, and whether we did noli 



158 WONDERFUL. 

need a Savior t< come and deliver us from this mis- 
ery into which our souls were plunged ! Now here 
is our happiness* Christians, in Christ we have 
these jewels again that were lost in the old Adam ; 
the glorious image of God, our sonship, our friend- 
ship, our fellowship, our privilege, our glory and 
honor, we have all again by Jesus Christ. O sirs, 
man was in a very sad condition, man had brought 
himself into a sad condition, our condition was a 
miserable case. 

A Fifth inference is this, Jesus Christ brought 
life to us, but we brought death to him ; a life of 
comfort, a life of glory ; Christ brought glory to 
us, but we brought shame to him ; Christ brought 
riches to us, but we brought poverty to him ; he 
brought joy to us, but we brought sorrow to him, 
sorrow upon sorrow; we put the crown of thorns 
upon Christ's head, Christ put the crown of glory 
upon our heads. We thought the earth too good 
for Christ, and would not let him live here, but put- 
him to death, but Christ thinks not heaven too good 
for us ; we be ashamed fro own Christ before men, 
but Christ is not ashamed to own us before his Fa- 
ther, and his holy angels; we condemn Christ, but 
Christ justifies us. O sirs, think of your unkind- 
ness to. Christ, and let the considerations of his infi- 
nite love and favor to you draw out your affections 
after him. That is the fifth. 

My Sixth inference is this. All believers have 
exceeding great cause to bless God for Jesus Christ: 
God the Father gave Christ to us, who were not 



WONDERFUL. 169 

his friends, but enemies : to us who were not sons, 
but slaves : to us who were not angels, but men : to 
us who loved not God, but hated him : Oh ! have 
we not cause to bless God for Jesus Christ? In 
John iii. 6., God so loved the world that he gave 
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him 
should not perish, but have everlasting life : Oh ! 
what a gift is Jesus Christ? 

Seventhly, If Jesus Christ be so wonderful, Oh 
then how vile a thing, how base a thing, it is for 
the hearts of men to prefer anything before Jesus 
Christ ? I beseech you, and beg of you all, to mind 
this inference. Surely, if Jesus Christ be so won- 
derful, so precious, so lovely, so rich, so sweet, so 
rare, O then it is a most abominable thing, a wick- 
ed thing, a vile thing, to prefer any thing before Je- 
sus Christ. O ! I may speak it with grief of heart 
there be too many in the world that set light by 
Christ that and make nothing of Christ, that love 
not Christ, and prefer every base lust before Christ: 
though there is nothing more cursed than this, yet 
there is nothing more common than this, Chris- 
tians, for men to prefer the vilest things before Je- 
sus Christ. 

First, The wicked worldling, he prefers the trash 
of this world before Jesus Christ, he can leave 
hearing and praying, reading and fasting, to follow 
the world : he prefers gold before God, earth before 
heaven, gain before glory, his corruptible silver be- 
fore his Savior. Oh, thou, wicked wordling, thou 
wretched worldlings can thy riches save thy soul? 



ICO WONDERFUL. 

Let me ask thee, can thy riches deliver thee from 
hell ? Can thy riches bring thee to heaven, that 
thou thus preferest ;them before Christ? For the 
Lord Jesus will come in flames of fire, to take ven- 
geance on such, and then thou wilt know to thy 
cost, pain and torment, that thy riches cannot keep 
thee out of hell, much less bring thy soul to heav- 
en; then thou wilt see thy folly when it is too late. 
Secondly, Drunkards, wicked drunkards prefer 
their drunkenness before Christ, the drunkard pre- 
fers his pots before Christ, the drunkard wades 
through a sea of drink to his grave : he can sit a 
day or a wh.ole night in an ale house, and think it 
a little time ; but an hour in the service of God, O 
how tedious is that? Oh! thoudrunkard, that now 
turnest off thy cups so fast, God Almighty has a 
cup for thee, but not a cup of sack, or a cup of 
beer, but a cup of wrath, which thou shalt drink to 
eternity; which is worse than to drink scalding hot 
lead down thy throat : he hath so much liquor here, 
not only to drink to quench his thirst, but to drink 
to excess, till he say and do he knows not what; in 
hell he shall have little enough, there is never a 
tavern or ale-house there : no, the.i'e is not a drop 
of water to be got in tall. O thou wretch! thou 
shalt live in burning (lames, and thy tongue shall 
cleave to the roof of thy mouth, and if thou wouldst 
give a thousand worlds for one drop of water, thou 
shalt not have it. And therefore, I beseech you, if 
any such there are here, in the name of God hear 
and fear, and do no more wickedly. Oh ! I would 



WONDERFUL. 161 

not be in thy condition for ten thousand worlds; 
and yet I cannot but have bowels of pity towards 
thee, which constrain me to speak, knowing thy 
condition better than thou dost thyself. Oh ! 
couldst thou but speak with thy fellow-drunkards 
that are now in hell, O what a dreadful story would 
they tell thee of their burning, suffering, pain and 
torments; some are in hell already, for the same 
sins you live in; and if you live and die without 
Christ you shall ere long be with them. 

Thirdly, The swearer, the blasphemous swear- 
er prefers his oaths before Christ; many can swear 
by their Creator and Maker, speak proudly, look 
highly, and walk contemptuously, as if there were 
no God to punish, no devil to torment. Well, let 
me tell thee, O thou swearer, that now delights in 
er.rsing, thou shalt be ere long sent with a curse to 
a cursed place. Depart ye cursed into everlasting 
flames, will Christ say to such persons. 

Lastly, The proud person prefers his pride be- 
fore Christ; if a fine suit of clothes did lie on the 
one hand, and Christ on the other, the proud person 
would rather put on the suit of clothes than Christ. 
O, I beseech you consider what a vile and abomi- 
nable thing it is to prefer anything before Christ : 
Consider this, saith the Psalmist, ye that forget 
God, lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none 
to deliver you. O poor wretch ! consider of that 
text. Thou liest open to all the judgments in this 
life, and to all the torments in the life which is to 
come, all ye wicked ones that prefer any thing be- 
fore Christ. 



162 WONDERFUL, 

Eighthly, The last inference is this, If Jesus 
Christ be so wonderful. Oh then every one that 
heareth of Christ should think it to be a most dread- 
ful thins: to miss of Christ. 

Oh Christians and friends ! consider of it ; cer- 
tainly that man or woman's condition must needs be 
sad indeed, that lives and dies without Jesus Christ. 
O poor wretch! the devil looks but for a look from 
God to come and rend thee to pieces, and draw thy 
soul to hell. Poor sou!, thy soul is in danger every 
hour, of being arrested by death and carried pris- 
oner to hell. O sirs, I beseech you do you think 
and consider yourselves, what a sad thing it is to 
miss of Christ. Until a man is in Christ, he hath 
nothing, knows nothing, enjoys nothing, can do 
nothing, is fit for nothing, and is worth nothing, 
Prov. x. 20. 

O, I beseech you, that you would consider seri- 
ously that of all miseries, that is the greatest of 
miseries to miss of Christ : we are never able to 
lament the loss of the poor s.ml that loseth Jesus 

Christ; all losses are wrapt up in that one loss 

And therefore I beseech you all both good and bad, 
bethink yourselves, what a sad condition that person 
is in that misseth of Christ. So much for this use 
of information. 



16S 



A BELIEVER'S GOLDEN CHAW. 

I come now to the second use, and that is an use 
of exhortation: and here I shall make a Golden 
Chain of twelve links for believers to wear about 
their necks. 

1. Hear the best men. 2. Read the best books. 
3. Keep the best company. 

1. Hear the best men. O sirs, hear a soul-en- 
riching minister, a soul-winning minister, a soul- 
searching minister, one that declareth the whole 
council of God, and gives the Father his due, the 
Son his due, and the Holy-Ghost his due; one that 
maketh hard things easy, and dark things plain. 
Many there are, I may speak with, grief, and to 
their shame, who instead of making hard things easy 
to the people, make easy things hard to the people, 
plain things dark, speaking in an unknown tongue 
which the people understand not; and all to work a 
vain admiration of them in the ignorant: But how 
unlike to Christ, the prophets and apostles these are, 
I will leave you to judge. 

This is, as if a man should make a scaffold as 
high as a steeple, when his work is done upon the 
ground: ministers are fishermen, now you know 
if fisherman should wind their nets together, they 



1 64 

would catch nothing; but if they would catch the 
fish, they must spread the net. The application 
is easy, a sanctified heart is better than a silver 
tongue; a heart full of grace is better than a heau 
full of notions; notional knowledge, it may make 
a man's bead giddy, but it will never make a man's 
heart holy: that which most tickleth delicate ears, 
least helpeth diseased spirits; How are we to 
speak to God and live, much less to speak from 
God and to the people that they may live? How 
holy had they need to be that draw near to a holy 
God? Ministers are called angels because we 
should be as angels in our lives: but if angels fall 
they turn devils. O we should be holy as the holy 
angels. 

It is the foolishness of preaching that saves souls, 
but not foolish preaching; Christ taught them as 
they were able to hear it, and as they were able to 
bear it, Mark iv. 33. Paul was excellent at this, 
I had rather speak five words in a known tongue, 
than ten thousand in an unknown tongue. A man 
may be a great scholar, and yet a great sinner; 
Judas the traitor, was Judas the preacher: and 
therefore, let me beseech you, for your poor souis, 
sake, hear those ministers that come nearest to Christ 
the Prophets and Apostles. He is the best preach- 
er that does the most good, and wins the most souls. 
You may go from men to truth, but not from truth 
to men; for the best of men are but men at the best. 

2. Read the best books, for in them you will find 
;he best things; and compare what is spoken ia 



a believer's golden chain. 165 

the books of men, with what is written in the book 
of God. 

3. Keep the best company; be much with them 
that are much with God; walk with them that walk 
with God. Truly our fellowship is with the Fath- 
er and with his Son Jesus Christ. John. i. 3. 
Forsake all bad company, and join thyself with 
good company; let them be thy choicest compan- 
ions that have made Christ their choicest compan- 
ion; lay them nearest your hearts, who lie nearest 
Christ's heart; carry them in your bosom by love, 
who shall be carried by the angels into Abraham's 
bosom; let Christ's lov£ be your love; with whom 
shall believers be, but with believers? You know 
what our English proverb is, birds of a feather 
will flock together; Acts. iv. 14: Being let go, 
they went to their own company. Indeed none 
are fit company for a believer, but a believer; to 
see a saint and a sinner associating one with anoth- 
er, is to see the living and the dead keep house to- 
gether; carnal men, though they be naturally alive, 
yet they are spiritually dead; it is better to be with 
Lazarus, though in rag?, than to be with Dives, 
though in his robes, He that walketh wifh the 
wise shall be wise, Prov. xiii. 

II. Meditate often, think often on the four last 
things; death which is most certain, judgment which 
is most strict, hell which is most doleful, heaven 
which is most delightful. 

1. Meditate upon death, which is most certain; 
It is appointed unto men once to die; H*k ix« 27* 



116 a believer's golden chain. 1 

Out of the dust was man formed, into the dust shall 
man be turned. To think of death is a death to 
some men; but, beloved, meditate upon death; the 
the meditation of death will put sin to death; death 
to the wicked, is the end of all comfort, and the be- 
ginning of all misery; but death to the godly is the 
outlet to sin and sorrow, and an inlet to peace and 
happiness; the saints, enjoyments shall be incompa- 
rable, when the sinners torments shall be intolera- 
ble: when a believer's soul goeth out of his own 
bosom, it goeth into Abraham's bosom ; when a 
believer dies he leaves all his bad behind him, and 
carries his good with him : when a sinner dies, he 
carries his bad with him, and leaves his good be- 
hind him; the one goeth from evil to good, the oth- 
er from good to evil. When a saint leaves the 
world, his flesh returns to the dust, and his spirit 
returns to rest; when a sinner leaves this world his 
body goes to worms to be consumed, and his soul 
goes to flames to be tormented ; the one goes to 
Abraham's bosom, the other to Belzebub's bosom ; 
the chaff to the fire, and the wheat to the barn. O ! 
for the Lord's sake, meditate upon death. When 
you come into the world you do but live to die 
again ; when you go out of the world you do but 
die to live again; he that lives well cannot die ill ; 
he that is assured of a life that hath no end, cares 
not how soon his life is at an end ; but he that lives 
without fear shall die without hope ; he that hath 
no grace in his life shall have no true peace in his 
death ; an old sinner is nearer to his second death 



A believer's GOLDEN CHAIN'. 167 

than he is to his second birth; his body is nearer to 
corruption than his soul is to salvation. Death lev- 
elleth the highest mountains with the lowest vallies; 
the robes of princes and the rags of beggars are both 
laid up together in the wardrobe of the grave. The 
reason why men so little prepare for aeath is, be- 
cause they think so little of death : when they feel 
sickness arresting them, then they fear death ap- 
proaching. The grave is a bed to rest in, but not 
a shop to trade in. When the soul in death takes 
its flight from its loving mate, they shall meet no 
more till the general assize. When you are putting 
off your clothes, think of the putting off your tab- 
ernacles ; be going to your beds as if you were go- 
ing to your graves, and close youreyes in one world 
as you would open them in another world ; when 
you are creeping between the sheets, then think of 
your winding-sheets. Remember, Christians, that 
God can easily turn you into the dust as he could 
take you out of the dust : to-day is our living day, 
to-morrow may be our dying day. The meditation 
of death will prepare you for death. 

2. Meditate upon judgment, which is most strict, 
we must all appear before the judgment seat of 
Christ. They who will not come before his mer- 
cy-seat, shall be forced to come before his judgment- 
seat; they who will not hear his word shall feel his 
sword ; they who are graceless in this day, will be 
speechless in that day ; do you mind me, sirs, at 
the world's end, such will be at their wits end, to see 
the earth flaming, the heavens melting, the stars fal- 
ling, the graves opening, the judgment hastening, 



168 a believer's golden chain. 

the sun and moon mourning, and Christ and his 
angels coming ; he that comes to, raise the dead will 
also come to judge the dead. Oh ! sirs, the great 
day to great sinners will be a terrible day, when they 
shall see Christ coming in the clouds, who hath 
the person of a man, but the power of God being 
crowned with dignity, guarded with angels, enraged 
with anger, and enabled with power to bring all 
kings and nobles, high and low, rich and poor, to 
the bar ; and there he will judge them, not by the 
witness of their countenances, but by the blackness 
of their consciences. He that was guarded to the 
cross with a band of soldiers, shall be guard to the 
bench with a guard of angels. You that make no 
account of his coming, how do you think to give 
an account at his coming ? For the Lord's sake, 
meditate upon judgment, the meditation of judg- 
ment, sirs, may make you judgment proof, they who 
now judge themselves in their own private sessions, 
shall not be judged by Christ at his public assize. 
3. Meditate upon hell, which is most doleful: O 
sirs, heaven is a place, where all is joyful, and hell 
is a place where all is doleful ; in the former there 
is nothing but happiness, and in the latter there is 
nothing but heaviness. Psalm, ix. 17., The wick- 
ed shall be turned into hell. Mark, sirs, the wick- 
ed shall be turned into hell. O dreadful place! 
where the devil is the goaler, hell is the prison, 
damnation is the punishment, eternity the time, 
brimstone the fire, and men and .spirits the fuel; to 
endure this will be intolerable, to avoid it will be 



A BBLlEvtfs GOLDEN CHAIN. 169 

impossible. This is the day of God's long-suffer- 
ing, and that will be the day of man's long-suffer- 
ing, there they may suffer and suffer pain without 
ease, torment without end, sorrow without sucoor, 
and misery without mercy. For the Lord's sake, 
meditate upon hell: O what hells are there in hell! 
the loss of God, the loss of Christ, the loss of all 
good; and endless, easeless, and remediless torments 
must be their portion. O that you would but often 
think of hell; if once thou droppest into hell, after 
a thousand years you will be as far from coming 
out, as you were at your first entrance in. There 
is a way to teep a man out of hell, but no way to 
to get a man out of hell. The wheat and the chaff 
may both grow together, but they shall not both lie 
together : in hell there shall not be a saint among 
those that are terrified, and in heaven there shall 
not be a sinner among those that are glorified. The 
sea of damnation shall not be sweetened with a 
drop of compassion. Will you pity a body that 
is going to the block, and will you not pity a body 
that is going to the pit ? What a sad visitation is 
that, where the black horse of death goeth before, 
and the red horse of wrath followeth after? O that 
must needs be sad when one death comes upon the 
back of another. A man's condition in this life 
may be honorable, and yet his state as to another 
life may be damnable ; poor Lazarus goes to hea- 
ven, when rich Dives goes to hell. It is better to 
go to heaven poorly, than it is to go to hell richly. 



1?0 A believer's golden chain. 

O sirs ! let us go to heaven by contemplation, thai 
we iray never go to hell by condemnation. 

4. Meditate on heaven which is most joyful.— 
Matt. xxv. 34., Come ye blessed, inherit the king- 
dom prepared for you. Heaven is a place where 
all joy is enjoyed, mirth without sadness, light 
without darkness, sweetness without bitterness, life 
without death, rest without labor, plenty without 
poverty. Oh, what joy entereth into a believer, 
when he enters into the joy of his master ! Who 
would not work for glory with the greatest diligence; 
and wait for glory with the greatest patience ! O 
what glories are there in glory ! Thrones of glory, 
crowns of glory, vessels of glory, a weight of glo- 
ry, a kingdom of glory: here Christ puts his grace 
upon his spouse, but there he puts his glory upon 
his spouse : in heaven the crown is made for them, 
and in heaven the crown shall be worn by them: in 
this life believers have some good things, but the 
rest and best are reserved for the life to come. O 
sirs ! meditate upon heaven, for meditation of hea- 
ven Svill make us heavenly ; heaven is not only a 
possession promised, but a possession purchased ; 
when our contemplations and conversation are in 
heaven, then we enjoy heaven upon earth : to be in 
Christ is heaven below, and to be with Christ is 
heaven above : there cannot be a better being for us, 
than for us to be with the best of beings. To me 
to live is Christ, and to die is gain, Phil. i. 21. — 
Paul was contented to stay a while out of heaven, 
that he might bring other souls into heaven; his 



k BE-LI EVERTS GOLDEN CHAIN. 171 

, life to them was most useful, but his death to him 
was most gainful. Let our condition be never so 
great, it is hell without him; and let our condition 
be ever so bad, it is heaven with him : 1 had rather 
be in hell with Christ, than in heaven without 
Christ, saith Luther. Indeed, hell itself would be 
heaven if God were in it, and heaven would be hell 
if God were from it. That which makes heaven 
so full of joy, is that it is above all fear, and that 
which makes hell so full of horror, is .that it is be- 
low all hope. The vessels of grace shall swim in 
the ocean of glory; here all the earth is not enough 
for one man, but there one heaven is enough for all 
men, a believer shall see with an eye that is purifi- 
ed, what he shall shortly see with an eye that is 
glorified : we may talk of the greatest of our crowns, 
but we shall never know the weight of our crowns 
till they be set on our heads. This is the second. 

III. Set the watch of your lives by the Son of 
righteousness; Mai. iv. 2. 

Live in print, and keep the copy of your lives 
from blots and blurs, that the characters thereof 
may be read by all, and bring up the bottom of your 
lives to the top of your lights. Then only doth the 
watch of your lives move with uprightness, when it 
is set by the beams of the Son of righteousness — 
The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath ap- 
peared to all men, teaching us to deny ungodliness 
and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteous- 
ly, and godly in this present world, Titus, ii. 11, 
12. 



172 a believer's gold&n chain. 

They who will not submit to grace's teaching, 
thall never enjoy grace's salvation. Oh, live so 
that the word which hath brought salvation to your 
souls, may bring your souls into salvation; that 
you may be such jewels of grace, as shall be locked 
up in the cabinet of glory. The Father of light 
takes no pleasure in the children of darkness : Let 
your light so shine before men, Mat. v. 16. We 
must shine in grace before we can shine in glory. — 
They who look for a heaven made ready, should live 
as if they were in heaven already. 

There are four things that make a new creature ; 
1. Light. 2. Life. 3. Holiness. And 4. Good 
works. The children of light must put on the ar- 
mor of light. 

I cannot but sadly reflect on the inconsistency of 
rotten professors. An applauded Christ shall have 
many hosannas, but a condemned Christ shall have 
many crucifiers; but a true believer can as well go 
with Christ to the tree where he is crucified, as he 
can go with Christ to the throne where he is glori- 
fied. Oh, how unanswerable are the lives of some 
professors to the light of professors? They know 
much, but do little; they know the good they are 
to do, but they do not the thing they know; they 
speak of things above, but they love and follow af- 
ter things below. A man is not what he saith, but 
he is what he doth : to say what we do, and not to 
do what we say, is but to undo ourselves by doing. 
Take heed, sirs, that you do not take yourselves to 



A pelibver's goldkn chain* 173 

hell with heavenly words. What is the great pre- 
judice that the world hath against professors, bu: 
this, that they who profess against pride more than 
others, are themselves as proud as others, they pro- 
fess against covetousness more than others, but are 
themselves as covetous as others : they often meet 
together to be better, but they are never the better 
for their often meeting together. Do but take away 
their profession and you take away their religion, 
they have nothing of the shape but the skin ; they 
are better in their out-side than they are in their in- 
side. 

. O sirs, if godliness be evil, why do ye so much 
profess it? And if goodness be good, why do ye 
so little practice it? Either take Christ into your 
lives or cast Christ out of your lips; either obey 
his commandments more, else call him Lord no 
more; either get oil in your lamps, or cast away 
your lamps. To be a professor of piety, and prac- 
tiser of iniquity, is an abomination unto the Lord. 
Some would not seem evil, and yet would be so; 
others would be good, and yet not seem so ; either 
be what thou seemest, or else seem what thou beest 
There are many that blush to confess their sins, that 
never blush to commit their sins. There is nothing 
done in vain, but that is vainly done. O Chris- 
tian, bring your lights to the light. What darkness 
can obscure them who have a sun above them ? — 
Believers when their candles were put out, they can 
fetch light from the Son of Righteousness. The 
nearer you are to such a sun, the clearer will be 



1^4 a believer's goleen chain. 

your light. Oh, Christians, you are never the bet- 
ter of your light, if you are not made better by 
your light ; he that sins against his light will at 
last sin a way his light. If thy light do not put sin 
and the world under thy feet, it will never put a 
crown of glory on thy head. This is the third. 

IV. Be willing to want what God is not willing 
to give. As God hath never the less for the mer- 
cies he giveth, so he hath never more for the duty 
he getteth : man is such a debtor to God that he can 
never pay his due to God; we are so far from pay- 
ing the utmost farthing, that at the utmost we have 
not a farthing to pay ; there is no man but hath re- 
ceived more good than he deserveth, and done more 
evil than he hath suffered: therefore he should be 
contented though he enjoy but little good, and not 
discontented though he suffer much evil. Let us 
therefore be contented, 1st Tim. vi. 8. A Chris- 
tian is to submit to the will of God's disposing, as 
well as to the will of God's commanding; that man 
obtains his will of God. who submits his will to 
God : a gracious heart shall never be out of heart, 
because he hath said, I will never leave thee nor 
forsake thee, Heb. xiii. 5. He that hath said it, 
will not unsay it : therefore take up your content- 
ment in God's appointment. We are not to be 
troubled for this, that we have no more from God: 
but we are to be troubled for this, that we do no 
more for God : a Christian though he hath a will 
©f his own, 3'et it becometh not a Christian to do 
his own will: contentment without the world, is 



« believer's golden chain. 175 

tetter than the world without contentment. Chris* 
ti*,n, get a holy heart, and thy state on earth shall 
be transcendent ; yea, thy estate on earth shall be 
sufficient : Christian, is not God willing to give 
thee riches ? O then be thou willing to want riches. 
Is not God willing to give thee health ? O then, 
be thou willing to want health. Is not God wil- 
ling to give thee children? O then, be thou wil- 
ling to want children. Is not God willing to give 
thee thy desire of this thing, or that thing? We 
many times stand in our own light. Never were 
any saints their own carvers, but before they had 
done they cut their own fingers : Lot was put to his 
own choice, and he chose Sodom; but you know it 
fell out, it was not long before Sodom was burnt. 
So Rachel said, Give me children or else I die ; 
and she had a child, but it cost her her life. Abra- 
ham desired the life of Ishmael, but he had but lit- 
tle comfort of him all his days. Therefore, dear 
Christian, submit thy will to God's will : that soul 
shall have his will of God that desires nothing but 
what God wills: do but take care of all t'iftt which 
belongs to God, and God will take care of all that 
which belongs to you. 

It is nothing but reason that God should fall out 
with him in the course of his providence that falls 
off from him in the course of their obedience. — 
Wicked men ma|n the world their treasure, and 
God makes the world their torment: when they 
want estates, they are troubled for them : and, when 
they have estates thev are troubled with them.--- 



1 76 a believer's golden chain. 

Murmuring persons think every thing too much that 
is done by them, and every thing too little that is 
done for them : God is as far from pleasing them 
with his mercy, as they are from pleasing him with 
their duty. It is unthankfulness that is the cause 
of the earth's unfruitfulness. Did a man believe 
that the Lord would not fail his body, how care- 
fully would he look after his soul ! It is only the 
christian man that is the contented man; he doth 
not quarrel with God for mercies denied, but bless- 
eth God for mercies bestowed. The higher a chris- 
tian is raised above the things of the earth, the more 
he is ravished with the joys of heaven. This is 
the fourth. 

V. Crucify your sins, that hath crucified your 
Savior. They that are Christ's, saith St. Paul, 
have crucified the flesh with the lusts thereof. Did 
the rocks rent when Christ died for our sins, and 
shall not our hearts rent that have lived in our sins? 
O the nails that pierced his hands should now pierce 
our hearts. They should wound themselves with 
their sorrows, who have wounded him with their 
sins; that they have grieved his Spirit, it should 
grieve their spirits. O, that ever I should be so 
bad a child to him, that hath been so good a father 
to me ! Our «ins have been our greatest terror, and 
our Savior hath been our choicest helpe 

Oh ! put sin to death, that was the cause of 
Christ's death : if one should kill our father, would 
we hug him and embrace him as our friend, let him 
eat at our table, and not rather hate and detest the 



A believer's golden chain. 177 

very sight of him : if a snake should sting thy dear- 
ly beloved spouse to death, wouldst thou preserve it 
alive, warpi it at the fire, hug it to thy bosom, and 
not rather stab it with a thousand wounds ? and 
were not our sins the cause and instruments of 
Christ's death ? Were not they the whips that 
scourged him, the nails, the cords, the spear, thorns 
that wounded him, and fetched the heart blood from 
him? and can we love fyii sins that killed our Sa- 
vior? Can a spouse love her husband, and her 
heart embrace an adulterer ? We complain of the 
sins of Judas and of the Jews, and seem to hate 
them, and spit at their mention, and can we love 
our Judas sins that set them all on work and put 
Christ to death. And yet how many are there that 
had rather have sinful-self satisfied, than to have 
sinful-self crucified. Ob, sin is that mark at which 
all the arrows of vengeance are shot. Were it not 
for sin, death had never had a beginning, and were 
it not for death, sin would never have had an end- 
ing. Man began to be sorrowful when he began to 
be sinful. The wind of our lusts blowed out the 
candle of our lives. If a man had nothing to do 
with sin, death had nothing to do with man. 

Oh, did sin bring sorrow into the world? O then 
let sorrow carry sin out of the world. Of all evils, 
sin is the great evil. Rom. vi. 23 : The wages of 
sin is death. Oh, it is worse than punishment, ban- 
ishment and imprisonment: sin killeth body and 
soul, it throws the body into cold earth rotting, and 
the soul into the hot hell burning. Oh, for the 



178 A BELIEVER^ GtiLDEN CHAIN. 

Lord's sake* think on this, and weep for this be- 
times : let the cry of your prayers out-cry the cry 
©f your sins. 

Nothing can quench the fire that sin hath kindled 
but the water which repentance hath caused. If 
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to for- 
give us our sins, and to cleanse us from our sins ; 
1st John. i. 11. A saint is not free from sin, that 
is his burden : a saint is not free to sin, that is his 
joying : sin is in his soul, that is his lamentation : 
his soul is not in sin, that is his consolation. If 
you will not sin in your grief, then grieve for your 
sins. That is the fifth. 

VI. Do you bless God most, who are the most 
blessed : God is good to all, but to Israel he is tru- 
ly good, even to such as are of a clean heart, Psal. 
Ixxiii . 1 . They can never speak enough to God, 
who have tasted the goodness of God: It is but 
reason that they should bless most, who are most 
blest. 

They who hold the largest farms must pay the 
greatest rents ; differing mercies calleth for differ- 
ing duties. It is very meet that he should be mag- 
nified by us, that makes us meet to be glorified with 
him. O, Christians, if he hath called you out of 
your marvellous darkness into his marvellous light, 
you ought to show forth his marvellous praises; 
1st. Pet. ii. 9; But you are a chosen generation, a 
royal priest-hood, an holy nation, a peculiar people 
that you should show forth the praises of him who 
hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous 



A BELIEVER 5 S GOLDEN CHAItf. 179 

light. Men should not glory in what they 
have received, but they should givfe glory for what 
they have received ; the glory of God must be the 
golden butts at which all the arrows of duty are 
shot: grace in our hearts is like stars in heaven, 
that shineth not by their own splendor* but by the 
borrowed beams from the Son of Righteousness; 
Giving thanks to the Father, who hath made us 
meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saint* 
in light, Col. i. 12. 

As the best of means should make us fruitful, so 
the best of mercies should make us thankful. Shall 
a saint find God a master that is bountiful, and shall 
a saint find a servant that is dutiful? if he gives us 
any enjoyment, it is but for his own entertainment. 
He shall never want mercy, that does not play the k 
wanton with mercy. To bless God for mercies is 
the way to increase them ; to bless God for miseries 
is the way to remove them : no good lives so long 
as that which is thankfully improved ; no evil dies 
so soon as that which is patiently endured. O 
Christians, give all your glory unto him, who hath 
given all his glory unto you; and do as those glori- 
fied ones do in glory. The four and twenty elders 
fell down before him that Sat on the throne, and 
worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever, Thou 
art worthy, O Lord, to receive all glory, and hon- 
or, and power, for thou hast created all things, and 
for thy pleasure they were and are created ; Rev. 
iv. 10, 11. All you have is derived from God, let 
all you have be turned to God : the more God's 



180 a bklikvek's uolkkn chain* 

hand is enlarged in the blessing of us, the more par 
heart should be enlarged in the blessing of God. 
O believers ! he hath frowned upon others but he 
hath smiled upon ydU j he hath past by others doors 
and knocked at your doors; he hath made you 
live when others are dead ; he hath made you heirs 
of glory, when others are the children of wrath ; 
he hath made you sons when others are slaves; he 
hath made you higher than angels, when others are 
no better than devils : this hatli he done, and more 
for you tvho are believers. Now have you not 
great cause to bless God ? Whilst man is a bless- 
ing of God for his mercies, God is a blessing of 
man with his mercies. Can you find me out that 
good that is not given you, or that evil that is not 
forgiven you? God deserves more from every 
Christian than he demands from every Christian ; 
where the Son of mercy shines the hottest, there 
the fruits of grace should grow fairest. That is 
the sixth. 

VII. Fear not the fear, of man. 

Wicked men must not be feared, though they be 
ever so mighty, nor followed, though ever so many : 
Fear not them that can kill the body, saith our 
blessed Saviour, and do no more; Matt. x. 28. If 
a righteous cause brings us into suffering, a right- 
ous God will bring us out of suffering; if we suf- 
fer for well doing, we do well in suffering; shall we 
cease to be professors, because others will not cease 
to be persecutors ; if ye suffer for well doing, saith 



181 

die scripture, ye are happy. What, are we mem- 
bers of Christ, and yet afraid to be martyrs for 
him? What, are the children of God afraid of 
the children of the devil? Are the children of light 
afraid of the children of darkness? Are the chil- 
dren of heaven afraid of the children of wrath? 
What, though ye be weak, your King is strong; 
what, though you be lambs among wolves, your Cap- 
tain is the lion of the tribe of Judah; what, though 
you have no power, Christ hath all power given 
him both in heaven and earth, Matt, xxviii. 8. The 
fear of persecution is more than persecution, he that 
loseth a base life for Christ, shall find a better life 
in him; persecution, though it brings death in one 
hand, it brings life in the other ; though it kills the 
body, it crowns the soul ; it sends the body to the 
dust, and the spirit to rest ; the worst they can do 
against you, is the best they can do for you; the 
worst they can do is but to send you out of the 
earth, and the best they can do for you is to send you 
up to heaven : they take a life from you which you 
cannot keep, and bestow a life upon you which you 
cannot lose. 

If they be blessed who die in the Lord, Oh, how 
blessed are they that die for the Lord ! Do wicked 
men glory in that which is their shame, and shall 
we be ashamed of that which is our glory? It is 
an honor to be dishonored for Christ. What is a 
short happiness attended with everlasting misery, 
to a short misery attended with everlastrng happi- 
ness? O how clear will the sun of righteousness 



182 a. believer's golden chain. 

shine, when these dark clouds are blown over? 
What if they threaten ydu with present deaths doth 
not God threaten you with everlasting death? if 
you be not ruled by him, whose threatening should 
you fear? is man more terrible than God? Is death 
more dreadful than hell? God hath said, Fear not 
man, who art thou that thou shouldst be afraid of a 
man that shall die, and of the sons of men that shall 
be made as the grass, Isa. li. 12, Do you see 
christians, God would not have you to be afraid of 
men : he that is afraid of man is afraid of grass . 
Fear thou not, for I am with thee ; be not dismayed, 
for I am thy God ; I will strengthen thee, yea, I 
will uphold thee with the right hand of my right- 
eousness, Isa. xli. 10. Let but professors do their 
best, and let the world do their worst. That is the 
seventh. 

VIII. Cleave thou closest to that truth which is 
the choicest. 

First. Be thou hearing and doing both, but for 
doing more ; he that doth most shall receive most ; 
christians, the more glory you bring to God the 
more glory you shall have from Him. O how abun- 
dant shall they be in the work of the Lord, that 
know their labor is not in vain in the Lord, 1 Cor. 
xv. 58. 

Secondly. Be for knowledge and practice both, 
but for practice more. Alas ! what is it to be a 
christian no farther than a few good words will go? 
I tell you, sirs, good words without good works 
will never turn to a good account: holy sayings 






a believer's golden chain. 183 

without holy doings will never conduct your souls 
*o a holy place. 

Thirdly. Be for gifts and graces both, but for 
graces more. A heart sanctified is better than a 
tongue silvered. Grace brings Christ and thy soul 
together, and unites them together. Without grace 
there may be a knowledge that is seeming, but 
without grace there can be no knowledge that is 
saving. 

Fourthly. Be for credit and conscience both, but 
for conscience more. Where there is a pure con- 
science, there will be a pure conversation. As no 
flattery can heal a bad conscience, so no cruelty 
can hurt a good conscience. 

Fifthly. Be good in good times, and in bad too, 
but in bad more. To be good at all times is a 
Christian's duty ; but to be good in bad times is a 
Christian's glory. You cannot tread in the steps 
of our Savior, but you will taste of the cup of our 
Savior. Any man, saith the Apostle, that will 
live godly in Christ Jesus, must suffer persecution. 

Sixthly. Be for body and soul both, but for soul 
more. O how careful are men for their bodies, but 
how careless for their souls? They are true to the 
part which is without, but false to that part within. 
So they may have but something of the world in 
their hands, they care not though they have nothing 
of heaven in their hearts. O Christians, our wor\ 
below is then the best done, when our work abov-i 
!s first done. The greatest happiness of the crea- 
ture is, not to have the creator & fcr one's happiness* 



1&4 a believer's golden chain. 1 

Swtnthly. Be for peace and truth, but for truth 
more. Oh, Christians, love the truth in truth; love 
the truth of God in truth ; justify the truth, and the 
truth will justify you. Till you can love the na- 
ked truth, you will never love to go naked for the 
truth — Remember that, I pray Christians. 

Eighthly. Be for life and Christ both, but for 
Christ more. Christ is sweeter than wine, better 
than life ; he that came from above is above all ; he 
that hath the key of heaven, can only open the door 
of heaven. 

Ninthly. Be for works and faith too, but for 
faith more. Faith is a grace that is the most need- 
ful, and a grace that is the most faithful : a faith 
that worketh not, is a faith that saveth not ; nothing 
will get up to heaven, Christians, but that which 
came down from heaven. 

Tenthly. Be for public duties and private too, 
but for private more. Be much in private duties; 
if you fall short in any, fall short in public duties, 
and be most in private ; you that have filled the 
book of God with your sins, shall fill the bottle of 
God with your tears. 

Eleventhly. Be for form and power both, but for 
power more; I say, but for power more. Chris- 
tians, alas! what is form without the power ? They 
give God the cup and knee, and give up themselves 
to all manner of abominable wickedness. O Chris- 
tians, I say, be for power, be sure you look to that, 
that ye be for the power of godliness, more than the 
form of godliness. 



A- BELIEVER'S GOLDEN CHAltf. 186 

Twetfthly. Seek to please men and God ooth, 
but rather God : to be in favor with them who are 
out of favor with God, to be well spoken of by 
them who are evil spoken of by God, is rather a 
reproach than an honor. If there be no fellowship 
between Christ and you in holiness, there will be 
no society between Christ and you in holiness. 
This is the eighth. 

IX. Acquaint yourselves with yourselves. 

The trial of yourselves is the ready road to the 
knowledge of yourselves. No man begins to be 
good till he sees himself to be bad ; till you see how 
foul your faces are, you will never pay tribute to 
Christ for washing them : he can never truly relish 
the sweetness of God's mercies, who never tasted 
the bitterness of his own misery. The bottom of 
our disease lieth here, that we search not our dis- 
ease to the bottom. He that trusteth in his heart is 
a fool, and yet such fools are we that trust our heart6. 
The conversation may be civilized, when the affec- 
tions are not sanctified. A man may be acquainted 
with the grace of truth, who never knew the truth 
of grace. Therefore examine yourselves and prove 
yourselves, 1 Cor. xiii. 5, whether ye be in the 
faith or no ; or whether the faith be in you or no ; 
whether your hearts be the cabinet of such a jewel; 
for want of this, many are like travellers skilled in 
other countries, but ignorant of their own. Many 
have their evidences of grace to seek, where they 
should have their evidences of grace to show. O 
beloved, I beseech you with beseeching, be more 



186 

in searching of your own hearts : it is of a greater 
concernment to know the state of your hearts, than 
to know the state of all your estates. A man may 
profess like a saint, pray like a saint, speak like a 
saint, look like a saint, and yet not be a saint. 
You cannot always tell what o'clock it is in a man's 
breast by the dial of his countenance : the hum- 
blest look is sometimes linked to the proudest heart. 

Believers, for the Lord's sake, consider well of 
these three things, 1. What you were in a state of 
nature. 2. What you are in the state of grace. 3. 
What you shall be in the state of glory. 

Oh! Methinks you should think of this, what 
you were, are, and what you shall be. Conversion 
beginneth in consideration. Grace as it makes 
our comfort sweeter, so it makes our crown greater. 
Beloved, for God's sake, for your soul's sake, ac- 
quaint yourselves with yourselves ; the readiest way 
to know whether or no you are in Christ, is to 
know whether or no Christ be in you ; for the fruit 
is more visible than the root. The tree of right- 
eousness is known by the fruits of righteousness, 
Matt. vii. 20; the tree is known by its fruits, said 
our Lord Jesus Christ, if you would know the heart 
of your sins, you must then know the sins of your 
hearts. Will you remember that, Christians? For 
out of the heart, saith our Lord, proceed evil 
thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication and blas- 
phemy, Matt. xv. 19. Many have passed the rocks 
of gross sins, that have been cast away upon the 
sands of sel ^righteousness; if you be found in 



a believer's golden chain, 187 

your righteousness, you will be lost in your right- 
eousness ; he that hath no better righteousness than 
what is of his own providing, shall meet with no 
bigger happiness than what is of his own deserving. 
That is the ninth. 

X. Do good in the world, with the goods of the 
world. 

It is better spending your time in doing good, 
than in getting goods ; for the goods we get we must 
leave, but the good we do will never leave us, Rev. 
xiv. 13; they shall rest from their labor and their 
works follow them. The ambitious man shall leave 
all his greatness behind him, when the religious man 
shall carry all his good within him. Dives's char- 
ity was very cold, and he found the flames of hell 
very hot. 

There is not a drop of water for such Diveses in 
hell, that have not a crumb of bread for such Laz- 
aruses on earth : Dives denied Lazarus a crumb 
of bread, and therefore Lazarus must not bring him 
a drop of water: he that will show no mercy shall 
have no mercy showed him. Let charity be your 
shop to trade in, and eternity shall be your bed to 
rest in; be a father to all in charity, and a servant 
to all in humility: do much good, and make but 
little noise. Every grace that is more exercised 
shall be more glorified ; the more good ye do for 
God, the more good ye shall receive from God ; as 
the poor cannot live without your mercy on earth, 
so without God's mercy you shall not live in heaven. 
He that gives to the poor saints for Christ's saints, 



tBB a believer's golden chain. 

shall be rewarded by Christ for the saint's sake; 
Mat. xxv. 36 — 40; I was naked, and ye clothed me; 
I was sick, and ye visited me ; I was in prison and 
ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous an- 
swer him saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hun- 
gred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in! Or 
naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee 
sick or in prison, and came unto thee? And the 
King shall answer and say unto them, Verily, I say 
unto you, in as much as ye have done it unto one 
of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it 
unto me. The more you disburse for Christ on 
earth, the greater sums of glory you shall receive 
from Him in heaven. The crop that is sown in 
mercy shall be reaped in glory. 

As we must lay all out in the cause of God, so 
we must lay down all for the cause of God. That 
which is cast in Christ's treasure by the way, is 
not cast away : mercy is so good a servant, that it 
will never let its master die a beggar ; though it 
make your pockets lighter, yet it will make your 
crowns greater. O that God should give the rich 
so much ! and O that the rich should, give the poor 
so little ! Some say that the barrenest ground is 
nearest to the richest mines ; it is too true in a spir- 
itual sense. How many rich men, though their 
estates be like a fruitful paradise, yet their hearts 
are like a barren wilderness ; they have much of 
the earth in their hands, but nothing of heaven ia 



a believer's golden chait?. 189 

their hearts ; they are rich in goods, but not in good- 
ness. I wonder that such worldlings do not tremble 
at these sayings, Mat. xxv. 41 — 46 ; then shall he 
say also to them on the left hand, Depart from me 
ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil 
and his angels : for I was an hungred, and ye gave 
me no meat ; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; 
I was a stranger, and ye took me not in ; naked, and 
ye clothed me not; sick and in prison, and ye visited 
me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, 
Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or 
a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did 
not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, 
saying, Verily, I say unto you, in as much as ye 
did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not 
to me. And these shall go away into everlasting 
punishment ; but the righteous into life eternal. O 
that men should be so much taken with their riches, 
who must ere long be taken from their riches ! As 
you brought none of your coin into the world with 
you, so you shall carry none of it out of the world 
with you ; in the world you find it, and in the world 
you shall leave it ; to whom you know not, it may 
be to them you would not. Did but some rich men 
know before their death, how their gold and silver 
should be spent after death, they would wish it back 
again in the mines from whence it came. O ye 
rich men, I say unto you, do good in the world with 
the goods of the world ; it is greater honor to give 
like a prince, than live like a prince : it is better to 
have a heart, and not wherewith, than to have 



190 a believer's golden chain. 

wherewith, and not have a heart. Give, and it shall 
be given you ; your charity should seek the poor, be- 
fore the poor seek your charity, he that showeth 
mercy when it may be best spared, shall receive 
mercy, when it shall most be needed. That is the 
tenth. 

XL Improve that time which will be yours but 
for a time ; ere long shall be to you time no longer, 
Rev. x. 6. 

Opportunities are for eternity, but opportunities 
are not to eternity. Christians remember, that that 
race is short in which you run, but the prize is 
great for which you run. As you have not a lease 
of your lives, so you have not a brace of lives. Had 
we not need to take heed how we shoot, that have 
but a single arrow to direct to the mark? No time 
is ours but what is present, and that is as soon past 
as present ; nature's womb often proves nature's 
tomb. 

Oh! consider how murh of your time is gone, and 
yet how little of your work is done. Shall your 
rest steal away one half your time, and your lust 
the other? Oh, what enemies are they to themselves 
that of all their days allow themselves not one? 
Your work is great and your time is short; you 
have a God to honor, a Christ to be believed in, and 
a soul to save ; you have a race to run, a crown to 
win, a hell to escape, and a heaven to make sure : 
you have many strong corruptions to weaken, and 
many weak graces to strengthen : you have many 
emptations to withstand, and many afflictions to 



191 

bear, you have many mercies to improve, and many 
duties to perform ; therefore endeavor to improve 
your time. All the time God allows i*s, is*little 
enough to perform the task which he allots us ; 
therefore, dear Christians, redeem the time, Eph. 
v. 16 ; redeem the time because the days are evil 
If much of your time be past, let no more be wasted; 
how much the longer our time hath been, the shor* 
ter our time shall be. Oh ! that every step our 
souls take might be toward heaven; and that you 
w ? ould make sure of God to-day, because next day 
you are not sure of yourselves. For the Lord's 
sake improve your time ; for your soul's sake re- 
deem the time. The lawyer will not lose his term, 
the water-man will Hot lose his tide, the tradesman 
will not lose his exchange-time, the husbandman 
will not lose his season, and will you lose your pre- 
cious season? If you lose your season, you lose 
your soul. Know that there is but one heaven, and 
miss that, where will you take up your lodging, but 
in hell? Tfiere is no sitting up under ground, for 
those that have lost their time above ground ; the 
great hinderance of w r ell living, is the expectation 
of long living ; many think not of living any better, 
till they think of not living any longer; O how 
just is it that they should miss of heaven at the 
last ! Now is the time of grace to accept of you, 
and now is the time for you to accept of grace 
To-day, to-day, to-day, saith God, thrice in one 
chapter, Heb. iv. 7; to-day, in the 7th verse, To* 
day, in the 13th verse, To-day, in the 16th verse. 



192 a believer's golden chain. 

Oh, but sinners say, to-morrow, to-morrow, to- 
morrow. Alas ! sirs, one to-day, is better than 
two to-morrows ; this day is thy living day, to- 
morrow may be thy dying day ; and therefore, for 
the Lord's sake put it not off. Now if ever, now 
for ever, now or never, up and be doing, lest you 
be for ever undone. This is the eleventh. 

XII. Learn humility from Christ's humility: 
Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, 
and you shall find rest to your souls, Mat. xi. 9. 

Humility makes a man like an angel, and for 
Want of it, angels were made devils ; proud sinners, 
be fit companions for none but proud devils ; the 
most lovely professor is the most lowly professor. 
A believer is like a vessel in the sea, the more it 
fills the more it sinks ; none so humble on earth as 
those that live highest in heaven : do but see how 
one of the best of saints looks upon himself as one 
of the least of saints. Unto me who am less than 
the least of all saints, said great Paul, Eph. iii. 8. 
The most holy men be always the most lowly men; 
where humility is the corner stone, there piety is 
the top stone. It is good to have true thoughts of 
ourselves. The cloth of humility should always 
be worn on the back of Christianity 

God Almighty hath two houses in which he 
dwells, his city-house, and his country-house ; his 
city-house is the heaven of heavens, and his coun- 
try house is the humble and lowly heart, Isa. lvii. 
' 15 ; I dwell in the high and holy place, that is in 
heaven, God's city-house ; and with him that is of 



a believer's golden chain. 19$ 

a contrite and humble spirit, that is his country- 
house ; humility is Bethel for God's dwelling place, 
pride is a Babel of the devil's building. If you 
do not keep pride out of your souls, and your souls 
out of pride, pride will keep your souls out of 
heaven ; I will not say a poor man is never proud, 
but I will say a proud man is never good. God 
resisteth the proud, James iv. 16; God resisteththe 
proud, but giveth grace to the humble. The face 
of prosperity shines brightest through the mask of 
humility ; of all garments humility best becomes 
Christians, and best adorns their profession. God 
will not endure that any man should think well of 
himself but himself. A Christian should look with 
one eye upon grace, to keep him thankful, and with 
the other eye upon grace, to keep him mournful 
When you begin to grow proud of your glittering 
feathers, look down upon your black feet, Rev. iv. 
10 ; the four and twenty elders fell down before the 
throne, and cast down their crowns before him that 
sat upon the throne. The only way of keeping our 
crowns on our heads, is the casting them down at 
his feet. Alas ! sirs, what are you proud of? Are 
you proud of your riches, honors, relations, beauty, 
strength, or life? Alas! alas! these are poor low 
things to glory in : when men glory in their pride, 
God stains the pride of their glory. O go to the 
graves of those that are gone before you, and there 
see, are not their bones scattered, their eyes wasted, 
their flesh consumed, their mouth corrupted? 
Where now be those ruddy lips, lovely cheeks, 
K 



lit 

fluent tongue, sparkling eyes, comely nose, are they 
not all gone as a dream ! Where will you be ere 
long? And will you be proud of these things? 
An humble heart knoweth no fountain but God's 
grace, and an upright man knoweth no end but God's 
glory. That is the twelfth. 

XIII. Be upright Christians. 

The gospel doth not only require that we should 
be excellent Christians, but that we should be dili- 
gent ones. The more glorious dispensations you 
live under, the more gracious conversations you 
should have. Spiritual actions will make you look 
fresh in the eyes of spiritual Christians. The more 
you have of God in you, the more you shall have 
of good with you. The clearer the lamp of grace 
burnetii on earth, the clearer the Son of glory shall 
shine in heaven. We live by dying to ourselves, 
and die by living in ourselves. Christians should 
be burning lamps, as well as shining lamps. Should 
we walk in darkness, whose Father is light? Shall 
the tongue be found lying continually to men, that 
was found praying so earnestly to God ? Or those 
be found gazing on sinful objects, that were found 
reading of sacred oracles? Shall such as have re 
received: Christ's press-money fight under Satan'* 
colors? Beloved, either let your works be accord- 
ing to your profession, or else let your profession 
be according to your works. Never put on the fair 
suit of profession, to do thy foul work of corrup- 
tion. Never put on Christ's livery and do Satan's 
drudgery. Let every one that names the name of 






a believer's golden chain. 195 

the Lord depart from iniquity. Not every one that 
&aith unto me, Lord, Lord, 6hall enter into the 
kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the will of my 
Father which is in heaven, Mat. vii. 21, 22. O 
that men's tongues should be larger than their hands. 
In words they profess him, but in works they deny 
him. Many set a crown of glory on the head of 
Christ by a good profession, but place a crown of 
thorns on the head of Christ by an evil conversa- 
tion. They feared the Lord, but served their own 
gods, 2 Kings xvii. 13. 

Alas ! beloved, what good will your profession 
do you, if you do not make good your profession? 
It is better never to shine, than not to be gold ; either 
take oil in your lamps, or throw away your lamps: 
the almost Christian shall be but almost saved. 
Therefore my brethren, let me beseech you, be al- 
together Christians, be upright Christians, be sin- 
cere ones, be as godly as the godly holy David tells, 
Psal. xv. 2, 3, 4. Who is the upright man? Who 
is the right upright Christian? He that walk- 
eth uprightly and worketh righteousness, and 
and speaketh the truth from his heart, he shall dwell 
in the tabernacle of the Lord; and so he goes on. 
If you would keep yourselves unspotted from the 
world, you must keep yourselves unspotted in the 
world. Oh, be not vain in a vain world. The loose 
walkings of Christians, are the reproaches of Chris- 
tians. If Abraham were now on earth, how 
would the father of the faithful blush to see their 
actions, that style themselves his offspring? 



196 k believer's golden chain. 

there be some men who think themselves too 
good to go to hell, and God thinks them too bad 
to go to heaven. Noah was a just man and perfect 
in his generation, Gen. vi. 9. He was not a sin- 
ner among those that were saints ; but he was a 
saint among those that were sinners; he walked 
with God when others walked in iniquity; he was a 
just man like unto God, that there was never ano- 
ther man like unto to him. 

The primitive Christians were the best of Chris- 
tians ; they knew little, but did much ; we know 
much, but do little. O ! sirs, if the service of God 
be bad, why do you set forth in it? Be altogether 
Christians, or else be not Christians. It is good to 
profess, but it is better to practice ; yea, of the two, 
practice without profession, is better than profession 
without practice. We must not be offended at the 
professors of religion, because they are not religious 
that make a profession. Though there be many 
professors that are not believers, yet there are no 
believers but are professors. Christians, when you 
make a good profession, be sure to make your pro- 
fession good. This is the thirteenth. 

XIV. Let it be thy art in duty, to give God thy 
heart in duty. 

My son give me tny heart, Prov. xxiii. 26. You 
see God calls for the heart ; the heart is that field 
from which God expects the most plentiful crop of 
glory : God bears a greater respect to your hearts, 
than he doth to your works ; God looks most when 
men look least; if the heart be for God, then all is 



a believer's golden chain. 197 

for Him ; our affections, our wills, our desires, our 
time, our strength, our tears, our alms, our prayers, 
our estates, our bodies, our souls ; for the heart is 
the fort-royal that commands all the rest ; the eye, 
the ear, the hand, the tongue, the head, the foot, the 
heart commands all these. Now if God hath the 
heart, he hath all*; if he hath not the heart he hath 
none ; the heart of obedience, is the obedience of 
the heart; as the body is at the command of the 
soul that rules it, so should the soul be at the com- 
mand of God who gave itr.l Cor. vi. 20, Ye are 
bought with a price, saith the Apostle, therefore 
glorify God in your bodies, and in your spirits. 
He that is all in all in us, would have that which is 
all in all in us. The heart is the presence chamber 
where the King of glory takes up his lodging ; that 
which is most worthy in us, should be given to him 
that is most worthy of us. The body is but the 
cabinet, the soul is the jewel ; the body is but the 
shell, the soul is the kernel. The soul is the 
breath of God, the beauty of man, the wonder of 
angels, and the envy of devils. The devil knows, 
if there be any good treasure, it is our hearts ; and 
he would fain have the key of this cabinet that he 
might rob us of our jewel. The devil would fain 
have the key of our heart. As we commit our es- 
tate into the hands of men, so we should commit 
ourselves into the hands of God. But alas ! man 
hath no mind to give what God hath a mind to 
have. This people draw near to me with their 
mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their 
hearts are afar, from me, Mat. xiii. 15. 



198 

Alas ! too often have we our hearts to seek when 
we come to seek God ; you may keep your duty to 
yourselves, if you do not give your heart to him ; a 
duty that is heartless is a duty that is fruitless : you 
can never give God the heart of your service, if 
you do not give him the heart in your service. The 
heart should be the first that comes into duty, and 
the last that goes out of duty ; good words without 
the heart are but flattery, and good works without 
the heart are but hypocrisy. Beloved, for your 
poor souls 5 sake, let words and works go together; 
your tongues and hearts go together, your lips and 
lives go together, your prayer and practice go to- 
gether ; if your duties do not eat out the heart of 
your sins, your sins will eat out the heart of your 
duties. A dram of matter is better than a flood of 
words : a heart without words is better than words 
without a heart ; a little done with the heart is better 
than a great deal done without the heart. Nothing 
takes with the heart of God, but what is done with 
the heart of man. He that regards the heart with- 
out any thing, regards not any thing without the 
heart. That is the fourteenth. 

XV. Be diligent in the means, but make not an 
idol of the means. 

Give all diligence to make your calling and elec- 
tion sure : 2d Pet. i. 10. It is our present busi- 
ness to make sure our future blessedness. When 
estates and honors, life, friends, and pleasures can- 
not be made sure, let this be made sure; for you see 
by daily expedience they cannot be made sure. 2d 



a believer's golden chain. 199 

Tim. vi. 19., Lay up for yourselves a good foun- 
dation. See what the Apostle saith, Lay up for 
yourselves a good foundation. And why ? That 
you may lay hold on eternal life. There is no 
landing on the shore of felicity, without sailing in 
the barque of fidelity; Phil. ii. 12. Work out 
your salvation with fear and trembling. Till you 
attain to firm salvation, you will be an easy prey 
to great temptation; Luke xiii. 24., Strive to enter 
in at the strait gate. Who would not strive for glo- 
ry with the greatest diligence, and wait for glory. 
Pray without ceasing: IstThes. v. 17. Pray con- 
tinually, though you be not continually at praying . 
our daily bread calls for daily prayers, every day 
begin and end the day with God ; let prayer be your 
first work and your last work every day. O Chris- 
tian, lock up thy heart with prayer, and give God 
the key. Are you called by the name of Christ, 
and will not you call upon the name of Christ 2tt- 
Take away spiritual breathings, and you take away 
spiritual living. We may pray always and yet not 
be always at prayer : Christians can never want a 
praying time, if they do not want a praying frame 
None can pray aright but those that are new crea- 
tures; but all ought to pray because they are crea- 
tures: a spiritual man may pray carnally, but a car 
nal man cannot pray spiritually. Psayer brought 
an angel out of heaven to bring Peter out of pris 
on; he prayed heartily, and speeds happily. The 
gift of prayer may have praise from men, but it is 
the grace of prayer that hath power with God.— 



200 a believer's golden chain. 

Never did man rightly make it, but God did quick- 
ly grant it. No Christian hath so little of Christ, 
but he hath matter of praising, and no Christian 
hath so much of Christ but he hath matter of pray- 
ing. Deny not God faith in prayer, and God will 
not deny a faithful prayer. But then in the second 
place, as you must be diligent in the means, so make 
not an idol of means: take all duties in point of 
performance, and lay them down in point of depen- 
dence. What is hearing without Christ, but like a 
cabinet without a jewel, for receiving without 
Christ, is like an empty glass without a cordial : 
duty can never have too much of our diligence, nor 
too little of our confidence. A believer doth nof 
good works to live, but he lives to do good works, 
It is a bad thing for us to be nothing in ourselves, 
and to be nothing in Christ; to undertake all oiu 
duties, and yet to overlook all our duties : the right 
eousness of Christ is to be magnified, but the right- 
eousness of Christians is not to be mentioned.— 
When we have done all, then say, 'We are unprofit- 
able servants, Luke xvft. 10. We owe the life of 
our souls to the death of our Savior. Duties 
are not destroyed by Christ, but they must be denied 
for Christ. We have as much need of the Spirit 
to bring up our graces, as we have need of the Spir- 
it to bring forth our graces. The clock of our 
hearts will stand still unless he oil the wheels. — 
Rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in 
the flesh. Good w r orks are so indigent, as none can 
be saved by them, and yet thev are so* excellent, a> 



A BELIEVERS GOLDEN CHAIN. 20] 

none can be saved without them. Duties, if Christ 
breathe not in them, a Christian grows not under 
them. We must live in obedience: many live 
more upon their customs, than they do upon Christ; 
more upon the prayers they make to God than upon 
the God to whom they make their prayers. Duties 
are but dry pipes in themselves, though never so 
curiously cut out, till Christ fill them. 

XVI. Take nothing upon trust but all upon trial. 

Though all gold glitters, yet all that glitters is 
not gold; all is not truth that goeth for truth, 1st 
John v. 1. Try the spirits, believe not every spir- 
it. Mark, sirs, you must not believe every spirit ; 
but try the spirits whether they be of God or no, 
1st Thes. v. 21. Prove all things, hold fast that 
which is good. Prove all things, that is, try all 
things by the scripture. Many hold fast before 
they try, but we must try before we hold fast. Alas! 
there are many in the world that are like infants 
that swallow all down ; all that the nurse puts into 
the poor babe's mouth it swallows down ; truly it 
is so with many men and women, whatever men 
say, down it goes; they will not take so much pains 
as to try the sayings of men by the sayings of God. 
O, say they, the men we hear be honest men, able 
and learned men; but would you not tell money af- 
ter them ? Would you not weigh gold after them ? 
I suppose you would , and will you take doctrines 
upon trust without trial ? Who will buy a jewel 
in a case, but a fool ? Remember, Christians, that 
the whore's cup is gold without, but poison within, 



202 A BEUI*EVEil ? S GOLDEN CHAIN, 

Bev. xvii. 4., She had a golden cup in her hand, 

full of abomination and filthiness. 

The cup is of gold, but the poison is the rankest 
poison; and methink this cup is much cup'd about. 
The learned men grow so wise that they have al- 
most mad? all the world fools. 2d Pet. ii. 1., As 
there were false prophets ambng the people, so 
there must be false teachers also among you. And 
O ! that there were not too many false teachers in 
these days. To counterfeit the coin of heaven, is 
treason against the King of heaven : and if this 
treason deserved hanging', I know who would be 
hanged next. I have often thought upon Chrysos- 
stom's sstying, preaching before a company of min- 
isters, "I profess," said he. "I do not know wheth- 
er any clergymen be saved or no." You will say 
this is a strange saying of a minister to a company 
of ministers. There calling is so weighty, their 
temptations so many, and their lives so bad; they 
speak like angels of light, but they act like angels 
of darkness. O how desirous are men to draw the 
fairest gloves upon the foulest hands? Men are 
better known by what they do than by what they 
say ; for they say and do not. Therefore, beloved, 
believe not their flattering words nor fair speeches, 
whereby they deceive the hearts of the poor igno- 
rant people ; Rev. xvii. 8. Mark the Apostle, by 
good words and fair speeches, saith he, they de- 
ceive the heart of the simple. God may reject 
those as copper whom men adore as silver. It is 



a bkl-isvsr's golden chain. 203 

ill dressing ourselves for another world by the look- 
ing* glass of this world. Th scriptures do not on- 
ly present to us what God will do for man, but al- 
so what man must do for God. What is the rea- 
son that there are so many scribbling professors in 
the world, but because they write after such imper- 
fect copies? The generality of persons, they will 
rather walk in the way that the most go, than in 
the way the best go. Great men's vices are more 
imitated than poor men's graces; but know, they 
who follow after others in sinning, are like to fol- 
low after others in suffering: we 'must not walk in 
the way that hath been gone, but in the way that 
must be gone. Be followers of me, saith Paul, 1st 
Cor. xi. 1, as I am of Christ. Where he follows 
Christ we must follow him; but if Pai>I forsakf 
Christ, we must forsake Paul. If we will not 
have the world to be our leaders, we shall be sure 
to have them to be our troublers; if they cannot se- 
duce us into an evil way, they will oppose us in a 
good one ; if they cannot scorch us with their fire 
they will black us with their smoke ; speaking evil 
of you, because you run not the same way of ex- 
cess of riot, because they will not do evil with 
them, therefore they will say evil of them. But 
whatever ye do, follow those that follow Christ— 
O that they should speak so much of God to others, 
and act so little for God themselves. Now belov- 
ed, I beseech you that you take nothing upon trust, 
but all upon trial : try their ways, tr.y their doc 
trines, try their savings, try their worship by the 



204 a bkliever's golden chain. 

word of 'truth; if it be according to truth, agreea- 
ble to truths and bottomed on truth, then believe -it, 
.hen receive it: if not, reject it and tread it down as 
dirt under your feet, let it be who it will that brings 
it : Nay, if an angel from heaven come and preach 
any other doctrine than the written word declares, 
let him be accursed; we ought not to receive it; 
Gal. i. 8., If an angel from heaven, saithhe, bring 
any other doctrine than what you have received, let 
him be accursed. And therefore, once more let me 
beseech you, for the Lord's sake, take nothing upon 
trust-, but all upon trial. It is a vain thing to say 
it is day when there is nothing but darkness in the 
sky. This is the sixteenth. 

XVII. Take those reproofs best, which you need 
most? 

Be not angry with them who tell you the truth, 
nor with the truth that is told you; Gal. iv. 16 — 
Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell 
you the truth. He can be no true friend to thee 
that is a friend to thy sins ; and thou canst be no 
friend to thyself if thou art an enemy to him that 
tells thee of thy sins. Wilt thou like him the 
worse that would have thee to do better? Psalm, 
cxxxi. 6., Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a 
kindness-, and let him reprove me, it shall be an ex- 
cellent oil. You see here that the good man is not 
angry with reproof, but takes it as a kindness, it 
shall bfi a kindness, and as an excellent oil. But 
the serpent the more he is stirred, the more he gatlv 
er« up his poison to spit at you. If Amos declare 



A £ELI£V£r's GOLDEN CHAIN. 205 

the word of the Lord, the land is not able to bear 
all his words, Amos vii. 10. If John the Baptist 
endeavor to take away the life of Herod's sins, 
Herod will take away the life of John the Baptist; 
Matt. xix. 10. John was beheaded. If the proph- 
et go about to imprison the king's sin, he himself 
shall be imprisoned, 2d Cor. xvi. 10. The king 
was wroth with the prophet, and he put him in pri- 
son. Jerusalem will stone the prophets till she hath 
r>ot left one stone upon another. Oh! that men 
should be so cruel to those that intend their cure ! 
Wicked men cannot endure reproof. You give the 
physician leave to tell you of any disease that is in 
your bodies, you give your lawyer leave to show 
you any flaw that is in your estates; you give your 
horse-keepers leave to tell you the surfeit of your 
horses ; and what, must we only flatter you, dis- 
semble with you, and cry peace, peace, till your 
sou-Is drop into hell ? Oh ! we cannot, we will not, 
we must not. Speak all these words that I have 
commanded thee, be not dismayed of their faces, 
lest I destroy thee, before their faces; Jer. i. 17. 
Speak to their faces, lest I destroy thee before their 
faces. This is the sense of the words. Charge 
them that be rich in the world, that they be not 
high-minded, 1st Tim. vi. 17. Great men as well 
as poor men must be admonished, though they be 
greater than the ministers in the world, yet they are 
not greater than he that sent the ministers into the 
world. But my brethren, there is a great deal of 
liscretion to be used, in reproving; many check 



206 a believer's golden chain* 

passion but with passion, and anger with anger; and 
this is to lay one devil and raise another: reproof 
should not be with passion, but with compassion ; 
not with jeering, but with grieving ; not with laugh- 
ing, but with weeping; I have told you often, and 
now I tell you weeping; Phil. iii. 18. The apos- 
tle could not make mention of them with dry eyes; 
his eyes were wet because their eyes were dry. It 
is the part of a good man to reprove, though his re- 
proof be not taken in good part ; it is better to lose 
the smiles of men, than to lose the souls of men. 
The magistrates they look to your peace, the law- 
yers look to your estates, the physicians look to 
your bodies, the ministers to your soul. Ministers 
must draw the sword of reproof against the sons 
of men, strike at them, and thrust at them. Have 
no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, 
but rather reprove them, Eph. v. 11. Rather re 
prove them: we must not suffer wicked men to walk 
in the devil's ways without reproof, we must re- 
prove you wisely, sincerely* sharply, and when ye 
mend your lives, we shall mend our language. This 
is the seventeenth. 

XVIII. Labor more for the inward purity, than 
for the outward felicity. 

John. vi. 27: Labor not for the meat that perish- 
eth, but for the meat which endureth to everlasting 
life. That man that is a laboring bee for earthly 
prosperity, will be but an idle drone for heavenly 
felicity. Gold in your bags may make you great- 
er, but it is grace in your heart that will make you 



a believer's golden chain. 207 

better. He is a rich man that lives upon his wealth, 
but he is a righteous man that lives upon his faith. 
A heavenly conversation is better than an earthly- 
possession : it is a great mercy to have a portion in 
the world, but to have the world for a portion, is a 
great misery. Our affections were made for things 
that are above us, and not for the things that are 
without us. Col. iii. 1, 2: If ye are risen with 
Christ, Pray mark, what then? seek the things that 
are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of 
God ; set your affections on things above, and not 
on things on the earth. The things of this life 
have not the promise of godliness, but godliness 
hath the promise of the things of this life. In- 
ward piety is the best friend to outward felicity, 
though outward felicity may be many times the 
worst enemy to inward piety : the ways of iniqui- 
ty are the ways of beggary. Do you make hea- 
ven your throne to serve it, and God will make the 
earth your footstool to serve you : inward piety is 
the ready road to outward plenty: 1st Tim. iv. 8. 
Godliness hath the promise of the life that now is, 
and of that which is to come. O what an excel- 
lent jewel is godliness? And who would not part 
with all for godliness ? Who would not account 
all other things but dung and dirt to gain godliness ? 
But alas ! some men are so in love with their gold- 
en bags, that they will ride post to hell if they be 
paid well for their pains : they look upon gain as 
the highest godliness, and not upon godliness as the 
highest gain : they mind the world that is come so 



208 A believer's golden chain. 

much, as if it would never have an ending; and 
the world to come so little, as if it would never 
have a beginning. Any good will serve the turn 
of those who know not the chief good : the things 
of this world are all the happiness of the men of 
this world; Job. xxi. 15 : What is the Almighty 
that we should serve him ? Or what profit shall 
we have if we pray unto them ? O what wretched 
worldlings were here ! O what pains do men take 
to cover the flesh from nakedness, when their spir- 
its are not clothed with the robes of righteousness. 
They are diligent about what is temporal, but neg- 
ligent about what is spiritual ; they are careful 
about dying vanities ; but slothful about durable ex- 
cellencies ; they feast their bodies, but starve their 
souls : they lay up treasures on earth, but none in 
heaven. O ! why do you spend your money? I 
say, Why ? O beloved, do you spend your money 
for that which is not bread, and your labor for that 
which satisfieth not ? read the text, Isaiah lv. 2 : 
Riches have made good men worse, but they never 
made any bad man better ; usually the poorest on 
earth are the richest in heaven. If riches would 
free from hell, O then how few rich men would be 
damned! He that knocks at the creature's door 
will find but an empty house kept there. O belov- 
ed, what is darkness to light? What is gold to 
grace? What is earth to heaven? that you thus 
neglect the great things, the weighty things, the on- 
ly things, and busy yourselves about toys and tri- 



a believer's golden chain. 209 

fles, when yon hive a crown to look after, a heaven 
to look after, a kingdom to look after. 

I beseech you, beloved, labor more for the in- 
ward holiness than for outward happiness; more 
for the heed of grace than for the bag of gold; more 
for inward piety than for outward plenty; more 
for an heavenly conversation, than for an earthly 
possession; the earth is for a saint's passage, but 
heaven is for a saint's portion. O believer, whilst 
thou livest, thou wilt find godliness gainful, and 
when thou diest, thou wilt find godliness needful. 
That is the eighteenth. 

XIX. Live in love, and live in truth. 

1st John. iii. 18: My little children, let us not 
love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed, and in 
truth. That love is love in deed and in truth. Let 
your love, Christians, be sincere, and not selfish ; 
Gal. v. 14: Love thy neighbor as thyself. How 
dost thou love thyself? How dearly dost thou love 
thyself? Why? so must you love your neighbor; 
Love thy neighbor as thyself. He that is not want- 
ing in this duty, is wanting in no duty. It is called 
an old commandment, and a new commandment : 
1st John ii. 7, 8. Love is there called, An old 
commandment, and a new. It is as old as the law 
of Moses, and yet as new as the gospel of Jesus 
Christ. A carnal man may love his friend, but it 
is a Christian man that loves his enemy. He that 
loved us when we were enemies, commands us to 
love our enemies. Matt. v. 44 : Love your ene- 
mies, (saith our Lord,) bless them that curse you 



210 k believer's golden chain. 

do good to them that hate you, pray for them that 
despitefully use you, and persecute you. A Chris- 
tian should wish well to them, who wish ill to him. 
O believers, let me beseech you, let me beg of 
you for your precious soul's sake, to live in love, 
and to live in truth. Ye are all fellow laborers, 
fellow members, fellow citizens, fellow travellers, 
fellow sufferers, fellow heirs, fellow servants; and 
will you not love one another? Remember, Chris- 
tians, he that would not be his brother's keeper, 
would be his brother's butcher; Gen. iv. 8. We 
have all the same Father, God; the same head, 
Christ; the same guide, the Spirit: the same attend- 
ants, the Angels ; the same grace, faith ; the same 
title, Son ; the same clothing, Christ's Righteous- 
ness; the same glory, heaven. And shall not we 
be dear to one another? He that loves himself, 
will not hate his brother; for whilst thou art out of 
charity with thy brother, God is out of charity 
with thee; and thou losest more for want of God's 
love, than thy brother loses for want of thy love ; 
Heb. xiii. h .Let brotherly love continue. Dost 
thou love the person of Christ, and hate the pic- 
ture of Christ? O sirs, remember the God oflove 
hath commanded us to love one another. Beloved, 
it is a sad thing, and truly so sad that it may make 
our very hearts to bleed within us, to think that the 
Lamb's little party; Rev. xiv. 1, 2. Who are in 
strength the weakest, in riches the poorest, in num- 
ber the fewest-: and shall they be in love the cold- 
est, in judgment the most divided? is not this sad 



A BELIEVER'S GOLDEN CHAIN. 211 

now, that the little ones of Jesus Christ, that the 
lambs of Jesus Christ should love one another no 
better? O Christians, either lay your malice 
aside, or else God will lay you aside, as he hath 
done to too many of us at this day, to our great sor- 
row; while you are with God, he is with you ; 2d 
Chron. xv. 2. While you are with God, he is with 
you : and if you seek him he will be found of you: 
but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. Nev- 
er was man forsaken of God till God was forsaken 
of man ; he sticks close to us while we stick close 
to him, but if we forsake him he will forsake us. 
He that will be angry and sin not, must not be an- 
gry but with sin. Therefore, dear Christians, let 
me beseech you to love one another. O that I 
could but speak out how much I desire the love of 
one another ! O it will be a happy day, when all 
the people of God are knit together in love, in 
union and affections ! O sirs, if God had desired 
or commanded some great thing of us, some bur* 
thensome thing of us, it might have been excused; 
but alas ! it is no more but love to our brethren ; 
and shall we deny this? But you may say, How 
should we believers love one another? I answer. 

First, You should highly esteem one another, as 
pearls in comparison of other men: so doth God; 
God calls his people his jewels, his treasure, his 
glory, his portion; when he calls wicked men dogs, 
vipers, swine, briars and thorns. You should be 
very high in one another s affections. 

Secondly, You should delight in the company 



2l2 a believer's golden chajn. 

of one another, in the society of each other; God 
delights in the society of saints, so should you. 

Thirdly, You should be ready to help one an- 
other, to do good for one another, and communicate 
one to another. Eemember the words of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, who said, It is a more blessed thing 
to give than to receive. 

Fourthly, Admonish one another, exhort one 
another, provoke one another to love, and to do good 
Works. 

Fifthly, Sympathize one with another: fellow- 
members should be fellow-feelers: so did Moses, 
Jeremiah, and old Eli, his heart was broken before 
his neck was broken. Dear Christians, let me be- 
seech you, let me beg of you to love one another: 
he calls us to love, who is love itself. This is the 
nineteenth. 

XX. Set out for God at your beginning, and hold 
out with God until your ending. As there are 
none too old for eternity : so there are none too young 
for mortality. Remember now thy Creator in the 
days of thy youth, Eccl. xii. 1. We are born to 
serve God ; and better we had never been born than 
not serve him. Man is beholden to God for what 
he hath, but God is not beholden to man for what 
he doth : it is greater glory to us that we serve God, 
than it is to God that we serve him ; it is not he 
that is made happy by us, but we are made happy 
by him : he needs not such servants as we are on 
earth, but we need such a master as he is in heav- 
en: he will be everlastingly blessed without us, but 



a believer's golden chain. 213 

we will be everlastingly cursed without him. Of 
him, and through him, and to him are all things, to 
whom be glory for ever. Amen; Rom. xi. 36. It 
is sad, my beloved, it is sad, that we should live so 
long in the world, and do so little good, or that we 
should live so little in the world and do so much 
evil. O you must not think to dance with the devil 
all day, and sup with Christ at night, or to go from 
Delilah's lap to Abraham's bosom. If salvation 
were easy to come by, it would be slightly set by. 
There is no obtaining of what is promised, but by 
fulfilling what is commanded. The neglecting of 
the race of holiness, will be the obstructing of the 
prize of holiness. Follow peace with all men, 
and holiness, without which none shall see God, 
Heb. xii. 14. Beloved, there are many young peo- 
ple in the world who are very wicked in the world; 
they walk in darkness, and do the works of dark- 
ness ; they are young in years, but old in sin ; they 
are very vain in a vain world ; they sin with delight 
and make sin their delight. I beseech you look in 
Eccl. xi. 9 ; Rejoice, O young man in thy youth,, 
and let thy heart cheer thee, and walk in the ways 
of thine own heart. O this is brave indeed, if it 
would always last; but after the flash of lightning 
comes the clap of thundering; mark what follows, 
But know for all these things, God will bring thee 
into judgment. Do you but see here, sirs, O were 
it not for this but how brave it were for wicked 
men ! but for all these things God will bring thee 
into judgment: for all thy wantonness, and for all 



214 a believer's golden chain. 

thy pride, for all thy profaneness and prodigality, 
thou shalt be brought to judgment : after all your 
present receiving, you must be brought to your fur- 
ther reckoning. O therefore, let nothing be done 
in the world, which cannot be answered in another 
world. Let me beseech you, who are young men, 
and young women, To remember your Creator in 
the days of your youth: to serve God, to love God, 
to honor God, to obey God in your youthful days. 
The flower of life is Christ's setting, and shall it 
be of the devil's plucking? Will you hang the 
most sparkling jewel of your young years in the 
devil's ears? O ! it is hard casting off the devil's 
yokes, when we have worn them so long about our 
necks. O young people, if you be sick of the will 
not, old age will die of the cannot : if God's to- 
day be to soon for thy repentance, thy to-morrow 
will be too late for thy acceptance. You can never 
come too soon to God, nor stay too long with God; 
he shall be happy in the end, who is holy to the 
end : Be thou faithful unto the death, and I will 
give the a crown of life : Rev. ii. 10. O hold on 
and hold out to the end : he that draws back from 
profession, shall be kept back from salvation : he 
that departs in the faith shall be saved, but he that 
departs from the faith shall be damned : If any man 
draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 
Heb. x. 38, Be steadfast, unmoveable, always 
abounding in the work of the Lord, seeing ye know 
that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 1st 
Cor. xv. 27, So I say to you all, young and old 



a belikver's golden chain. 215 

people, Be steadfast, immoveable, always abound- 
ing in the work of the Lord. If he gives that grace 
that is not due to us, shall we deny that glory that 
is due to him? If he make our natures gracious, 
we should make his name glorious. O ! be still 
with God, so was David, Psal. cxxxix. 18. When 
I awake, I am still with thee: David was least 
alone, when he was most alone : there cannot be a 
better being for us, than for us to be with God.— 
This is the last. 



A CABINET OF JEWELS; 



OR, 



A GLIMPSE 



OF 



SION'S GLORY. 



WVMWW«^«AAAiW 



^^M»»/S»»<^^^^^^^^^* 



BY REV. WILUAM DYER, 

Minister of the Gospel at Chesham and 

Cloudcsbury, in the County of Bucks, 

England. 






.mv^vm M , . , ■■■ ■ ■ ■ ma 



<M W<W» « 



Revelations u 3. 



DEDICATION. 



To tnose of Cloudesbury Parish, together with 
all others who did attend constantly upon the 
word of God there preached ; grace, mercy and 
peace be multiplied from Uod the Father, 
through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Dearly beloved, they that love God dearly, are 
dearly beloved of God, dearly beloved of Christ, 
dearly beloved of angels, dearly beloved of saints, 
they are beloved of all, and have the love of all, 
whose love is worth having. O my dear friends, I 
cannot think of you and your condition, but it fills 
my eyes with tears, and my heart with grief; and 
with Jeremiah I wish, Oh ! that mine head were 
waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I 
might weep day and night, for the slain of the 
daughters of my people, Jer. ix. 1 . Oh that I am 
constrained to be from you, whom I could live and 
die with, spend and be spent for ; so dear a people 
as you are, I could wish to be doing the work, to 
which I was called among you, rather than any 
where else j if I might 1 should not #ount my life 
dear to me, so that I might have the liberty to 
preach Christ to you, for your edification and sal- 
vation. I hope your conscience will bear me wit- 
ness, that whilst I was with you, I labored as much 
as in me lay, to be a helper of your joy, not to 
lord k over your faith. And I bless God I can with 



DEDICATION. 



good conscience safely say, I have coveted no man's 
gold, nor silver, as you yourselves know; I could 
do very much for you, but I dare not sin against 
God and my own conscience. 

But my dear brethren, though they have separated 
us one from the other, they cannot separate our 
hearts ; I hope there will never be a separation of 
our loves, but that we will continue ; if we see not 
one another, yet we may love one another, and pray 
for one another. And now my desire is, that my 
pen may reach you, though my voice cannot, that I 
may still approve the sincerity of my love to you. 
I shall give you twenty directions for the right or- 
dering of your lives and conversations, of these 
dangerous and sinful times, that you may live in 
heaven, whilst you are on earth, and come to heaven 
when you shall leave the earth. 



A CABINET OF JEWELS; 

OR, A GLIMPSE OF ZM'S GLORY,- 

FIRST, LOATH SIN, AND LEAVE SIN. 

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but 
whosoever confesseth and forsaketh them, shall 
have mercy, Prov. xxviii. 23. If we confess our 
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and 
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, 1 John, i. 
19. There must be a falling out with our sins, be- 
fore there be a falling off from our sins ; there must 
be a loathing of sin in our affections before there 
be a leaving off sin in our conversations. Oh ! is 
it not a thousand times better to part with sin, 
though never so sweet, than to part with God and 
Christ, and heaven? One of them you must do. 
One sin will damn a soul out of Christ ; sin is the 
evil of evils ; it is worse than the devils ; for it is 
that that made the devil to be a devil. Oh! the 
love of sin, and the lack of grace, will ruin and 
destroy^ your souls for ever; it is better not to be 
than to be a sinner, better be no people than not to 
be the Lord's people. Oh! therefore kill sin, that 
sin may not kill you ; mourn for sin, and flee from 
sin ; do not commit new sins, but repent for old 
sins; Ezek. xxxvi. 31, Ye shall loath yourselvesin 
your sight for your iniquities. Oh poor soul ! hast 
thou not served the flesh and the dev'l long enough? 



THE STRAIGHT. WAY TO HEAVBN. 221 

Yea, hast thou not had enough of sin ? Is it so 
good to thee, so profitable for thee? Oh ! what a 
place will ye be in shortly, of joy or torment ! Oh ! 
what a sight will you see shortly in heaven or hell ! 

what thoughts will shortly fill your heart with 
Unspeakable delight or horror ! What work will 
ye be employed in, to praise the Lord with saints 
and angels, or to cry in fire unquenchable with dev- 
ils? O ! therefore die unto sin, confess it, mourn 
for it, and be ashamed of it ; hate and loath it, and 
flee from it, as from a serpent ; and though your 
sins are more than you can number, yet thev are no 
more than God can pardon. 

II. Put off the old mnn ana put on the new. 
Lie not to one another, seeing ye have put off the 
old man with his deeds, and have put on the new 
man which is renewed in knowledge, after the im- 
age of him that created him; Col. iii. 9, 10; and 
that you put on the new man, which after God is 
created in righteousness and true holiness ; Eph. iv. 
24, for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avail- 
eth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new crea- 
ture ; Gal. vi. 15, as new-born babes desire the sin- 
cere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby ; 

1 Peter ii. 1, therefore, if any man be in Christ, 
he is a new creature : old things are past away, 
behold all things are become new ; 2 Cor. v. 17; a 
new understanding, a new will, new desires, new 
love, new delights, new thoughts, new words, new 
company, and new conversation. He is not what 
he was before* Oh ! dear friends be new creatures, 



222 THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVEN. 

that you may be glorious creatures. We can call 
nothing in heaven ours, till Christ be ours. With- 
out regeneration there is no salvation. Verily, ver- 
ily, I say unto you, except ye be converted, and 
become as little children, ye cannot enter into the 
kingdom of heaven. John rii. 3, Verily, verily, 
I say unto thee except a man be born again, he can- 
not see the kingdom of God ; you have heard much 
of God, Christ and heaven, with your ears, but 
this will not bring you to heaven, unless you have 
much of God, Christ and heaven in your hearts ; 
you must be able to say, I was once a slave, but 
now a son ; once I was dead, but now I am alive ; 
once I was in darkness, but now I am a light in the 
Lord; once I was a child of wrath, an heir of hell, 
but now 1 am heir of heaven ; once I was under 
the spirit of bondage, but now I am under the spirit 
of adoption. A true believer lives in the Lord; 1 
Thes. i. 1. On the Lord; Rom. i. 17. Lukexx. 
38; from the Lord, John vi. 27; To the Lord, 
Rom, xiv. 8; With the Lord, 2 Cor. xiii. 4. 

III. Make your peace with the prince of peace 
Isa.ix. 6; Psal. ii. 12; Kiss ye the Son, lest he 
be angry, and ye perish from the way when his 
wrath is kindled but a little : blessed are all they 
;hat put their trust in him. O ! do not lift up your 
Hands against the Son, but kiss the Son. 

Let his will be your rule, his Spirit your guide, 
ais precepts your practice, his decrees your delight, 
nis chosen ones your choicest companions ; submit 
.o his gospel and government. Oh sirs, make your 
aeace with God. 



*«£ STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVEN. 28* 

There is four-fold peace: 1. There is a piece 
external, but that is peace with men. .* 2. There is a 
place supernal, that is peace with God. 3. There 
is a peace internatural, that is peace with con- 
science. 4. There is peace eternal, and that is 
peace in heaven. Psal. xxxii. 37. Mark the per- 
fect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that 
man is peace. 

If you have peace with God, the world and the 
devil cannot hurt you. And upon the glory shall 
be a defence, Isa. iv. 5. Believers have God for 
their guide, and again : he that meddles with the 
saints of God, assaults God himself, Zech. ii. 8: 
He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine 
eve He that lifts up his hand against them, lifts up 
his hand against God ; though they have many en- 
emies, vet^ they have one friend that hath more 
strength than all their enemies. A ragged saint is 
dearer to God than glittering emperors that want 
grace. Oh ! make your peace with the Prince of 
peace, that in this life you may have the assurance 
of eternal life, and that eternal death may not be 
your portion in the other life.. 

IV. Make religion your main bu$inest,ana 
not a byebusintss. 

Wherefore, rather, brethren, give all diligence tc 
make your calling and election sure ; for if ye dc 
these things, ye sh.il never fail; 2 Peter i. 1; wori. 
out your salvation with fear and trembling, Phil, 
ii 12; but seek ye first the kingdom of God aad 



224 THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVEN. 

his righteousness, and all these things shall be ad- 
ded unto you; Mat. vi. 39. O ! why is the glory 
of this world so much regarded, but because the 
glory of heaven is so little minded? Oh! what is 
sfii earthly kingdom, irr comparison of the heavenly 
kiiigdom! The angels themselves, though they 
are glorious spirits, yet they are ministering spirits. 

Do not most men of the world make light of 
God, of Christ, the Spirit, of heaven and their pre- 
cious souls? And he sent forth his servant to call 
them that were bidden to the wedding, and they 
would not come. Again, he sent forth other ser- 
vants, saying, Tell them that are bidden, behold I 
have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fatlings 
are killed, and all things are ready, come unto the 
marriage; but they made light of it, and went their 
ways, one to his farm, and another to his merchan- 
dize, Mat. xxii. 3, 4, 5. 

Wretched worldlings make religion a bye-busi- 
ness ; they will hear, read, and pray, when they 
have nothing else to do. O that such men did but 
know what everlasting glory, and everlasting tor- 
ments are, would they do as they do? Oh ! that 
they did but know the worth of their souls ; and 
the want of a Savior ; the shortness of their time, 
the greatness of their work, would they then neglect 
God and their own souls, as they do? 

O friends! let me beseech you to whom I write, 
to make religion your main business; hearing, read- 
ing, praying, believing, and doing your main busi- 
ness. Labor not for the m<eat that perisheth but 



TBS STRAIGHT WAT TO HBAVEN. 226 

for the meat which endureth to everlasting life, 
which the Son of man shall give you : for him hath 
God the Father sealed, John vi. 29. 

V. Do nothing, in this world, but what you 
can answer for in another. 

For we must all appear before the judgment seat 
of Christ, that every one may receive the things 
done in the body, according to that which he hath 
done, whether it be good or bad, 2 Cor. v. 10. In 
the day which God shall judge the secrets of men 
by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel, Kom. ii. 
2, 16. He hath appointed a day in the which he 
will judge the world in righteousness, by that man 
whom he hath ordained, Acts xvii. 31. For God 
shall bring every work into judgment, with every 
secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be 
evil, Eccl. xii. 14. Oh ! for the Lord's sake, my 
dear brethren, let nothing be done by you in this 
world, but what may be answered for by you in 
another world. 

Many men do that in this world, which they 
cannot answer for in another : now they condemn 
God, blaspheme Him, rebel against Him, go a 
whoring from Him, and persecute the beloved of 
Him ; instead of protecting the saints, imprison the 
saints ; and are more for crushing them, than com- 
forting them ; instead of visiting them, vilify them; 
and instead of affecting them, afflict them, and eat 
them up as they eat bread, Psal. xiv. 4. And will 
not suffer them to worship the true God in spirit 
and in truth, but mock them, Heb. xi. 36 ; threaten 



226 THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVEN. 

them, Acts iv. 19; accuse them, Actsxxiv. 5; slan- 
der them, Mat. v. 11; curse them, Mat. v. 44; beat 
them, Acts v. 40: imprison them, Acts iv. 3^ plun- 
der them, Heb. x. 34; banish them, Heb. xi; And 
murder them, Rom. viii. 36. All this the poor 
innocent suffer, whilst swearing, cursing, whoring, 
robbing, blaspheming, drunkenness and gluttony, 
and all manner of debauchery, yea, murder itself, 
walks unpunished in the streets, and only he that 
departeth from evil maketh himself a prey. What 
wonder then, if such as these shall one day hide 
themselves in dens and holes, and cry to the rocks 
and mountains to fall upon them, and hide them from 
the face of him that sitteth upon the throne, ^ind 
from the wrath of the Lamb? Rev. vi. 16, 17. 
Oh! what will persecutors do, when Jesus Christ 
appears in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them 
that know him not, and obey not his gospel ? 2 
Thess. i/8. Will they not then be dumb and 
speechless, and have never a word to say for them- 
selves ; as that man that had not on the wedding 
garment? Mat. xx. 12. 

But, Oh beloved, let that grace that hath appear- 
ed to all men, teach us to deny ungodliness and 
worldly lusts, that we live soberly, righteously and 
godly in this present world, Titus ii. 11, 11, 12, 
following the Lamb, resisting Satan, shunning sin, 
and separating from the world. 

VL Make the word of God your rule, and the 
Spirit of God your guide. 

To the law, and to the testimony ; if they speak 



frHE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVES. 227 

hot according to this word, it is because there is no 
lightin them, Isa. viii. 20. We have also a more 
sure w5rd of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that 
ye take heed, as unto a light shining in a dark place, 
until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your 
heart; 2 Peter i. 19. All scripture is given by in- 
spiration of God ; and is profitable for doctrine, for 
reproof, for correction, instruction in righteousness; 
2 Tim. iii. 16 ; howbeit, when the spirit of truth 
is come, he will guide you into all truth; for he 
shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall 
hear, that shall he speak, and he shall show you 
things to come ; John xvi. 13. The scripture is a 
rale before us to show us where we must go ; the 
Spirit is a word behind us, to enable us to go accor- 
ding to the directions of the word. The word of 
God is a compass, by which we must direct our 
course ; the Spirit is the great pilot, that steers us 
in this course ; we have no eyes to see the word, 
till the scripture enlighten them ; we have no ears 
to hear the word, till the Spirit open them ; we have 
no heart to obey the word till the Spirit bow and 
incline it. By the word of God we know the mind 
of the Spirit ; and by the efficacy of the Spirit we 
feel the efficacy of the word ; the word of God 
shows us the way, and the spirit of God leads us 
in that way which the word points out. The Spirit 
of God is able to expound'the word of God, and to 
make it plain to our understanding. The Holy 
Ghost is the church's interpreter ; he gives the 
scriptures, and he can reveal unto us the sense 



228 the $7Uawht way *o heavxk . 

and meaning of the scriptures ; the word is God's 
counsellor, to discover the path in which we are to 
walk; the Spirit is the counsel of God, that teach- 
eth us to walk in that path ; the word is a crystal 
glass, which shows us our duty ; if God had not 
put his spirit into our hearts, as well as his word 
into our mouths we should never have grieved at 
the fair haven of peace. Augustine calls the scrip- 
tures, the Epistle of God to the creatures, by which 
we undestand the very heart of God. God Almighty 
hath in the sacred scriptures, as it were, unbowelled 
himself, unfolded all his counsel to the creatures, 
as far as is necessary to be known for their direc- 
tion and guidance to everlasting life. 

There be many that walk by false rules : 1 . Some 
by opinions. 2. Some by customs. 3. Some by 
providence. 4. Some by conscience. 5. Some 
by their own reason. 6. Some by men's exam- 
ples. 7. Some by their lusts. But O my dear 
friend, let me beseech you to walk by none of these 
false rules, but keep close to the Word and Spirit 
of God: 

VII. Be faithful and fruitful. 

Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast 
and uwnoveable, always abounding in the work of 
the Lord : for as much as ye know your labor is not 
in vain ; 1 Cor. xv. 38. Every tree that beareth not 
good fruit, is hewn down and cast into the fire. 
Christians must be fruitful, and not slothful ; see 
that ye bring forth good fruit and much fruit. 

First. Sincerity, which is cot a single grace, but 



THE SYBAIOHT WAY TO HSAYKH. 229 

the soul of grace. Behold thou desirest truth in 
the inward parts, Psal. li. 6. 

Secondly. Humility, a grace most prevailing 
with God for the obtaining all graces. Take my 
yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and 
lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls, 
Mat. xi. 29. 

Thirdly. Prudence: the patient Christian is the 
best for waiting, but the prudent Christian is the 
best for working. Be ye wise as serpents, and 
harmless as doves, Mat. x. 16. We must have in- 
nocency with our wisdom, else our wisdom is but 
craftiness ; and we must have wisdom with our in- 
nocency, else our innocency is but weakness. We 
must have the harmlessness of doves, that we may 
not wrong others ; and we must have the prudence 
of the serpent, that others may not abuse and cir- 
cumvene us ; not to wrong the truth by silence, here 
is the innocency of doves ; not to betray ourselves 
by rashness, here is the wisdom of the serpent. 

Fourthly. Patience: here is the patience of the 
saints, Rev. xiv. 10, and xv. 10. The way to 
bring the world under us, is to be patient under it. 

Fifthly. Self denial: If any man will come after 
me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and 
follow me; Mat. xvi. 24. 

Be faithful in your promises, and in your purpo- 
ses be faithful to the ways of God, and cause of 
God. O ! do not begin with the Lamb, and end 
with the beast : but be thon faithful unto death, and 
I will give thee a crown of life, Rev. ii. 20. Keep 



230 THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVEN. 

your lights burning, and lamps shining, your loins 
girded, your conscience awakened, your garments 
unstained, and your spiritual armor constantly on 
closely girt. 

VIII. Have a care of reporting, and believing 
ths world's report of the people of God. 

Those that have a good conscience, have not al- 
ways a good name. The people of God in this life 
are called by the wicked, the troublers of Israel, 
seditious, rebellious, and what not; an old device 
of that old serpent to pursue the troubles of Israel 
upon Elijah, the chariot of Israel, 1 Kings xviii. 
13. 2 Kings ii. 12; Jeremiah for speaking against 
their sins and wickedness, and denouncing God's 
judgment against them, is judged worthy of death, 
Jer. xxvi. 8, 9. So Jer. xxxviii. 4. The wicked 
nobles petition the king to murder him, under pre- 
tence that he sought not the good of the people, 
but their hurt. So Amos for speaking against the 
abominations of the king's court is charged with 
treason against the king's person; Amos vii. 10, 
12. So Paul and Silas, for preaching up the kingly 
power of Jesus Christ, are accused by the envious 
Jews, and rude multitude for turning the world 
upside down, and breaking the decrees of Caesar : 
yea, Christ himself had this laid to his charge. 
Mark what the Jews say of him : And they be- 
gan to accuse him, saying, We have found this 
fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give 
tribute unto Caesar, saying, that he himself is Christ 
aking; Luke xxiii. 2. Mat. xxvii. 18; and for 



THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVEN. ^231 

this have the servants of the most high in all ages 
been accused and persecuted, killed and stoned; 
Mat. xxvii. 37; Acts vii. 52. Now if they do so 
to the green tree, no wonder if they do it to the dry; 
if the Lord and Master is called an enemy to Caesar, 
no wonder if those of his household be called so. 
Our integrity will not secure us from infamy : the 
choicest of professors have had black marks in the 
world's callendar. It *is usual for those who live 
in treason and rebellion against the King of heaven, 
to slander his servants with treason and rebellion 
against the kings of the earth. 

But, my dear brethren, take heed to this ; for as 
the death of the saints is precious, so the names of 
the saints are precious in God's account. The 
world will father a hundred lies upon the Lord's 
people : Men shall revile you and persecute you, 
and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely 
for my sake; Mat. v. xi. 2 Tim. ii. 8. Wicked 
men hate them most that God loves most ; but God 
will roll away the reproaches of his people ; he will 
cause their innocency and righteousness to break 
forth as the sun at noon-day,and their names shall be 
in everlasting remembrance. Yea, at that great 
day, God will clear their innocency before men and 
angels, and all the world. 

IX. Keep in ivith God; now men are out with 
you. But it is good for me to draw near to God : 
I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may 
declare ajl thy works; Psal. lxxiii. 10. He that 
dwelleth under the shadow of the most High, no 



232 THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVEN. 

plague shall come nigh him ( He shall give his an- 
gels charge over thee,) Psal. xci. 10, 11. Though 
the fig-tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit 
on the vine : though the labor of the olive should 
fail, and the fields should yield no meat, the flock 
should be cut off from the fold, and the herd from 
the stall, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will tri- 
umph in the God of my salvation; Hab. ii. 17, 18. 
The name of the Lord is a strong tower, and the 
righteous runneth into it, and are safe, James iv. 8. 
Draw near to God, and he will draw near -to you. 
This is a great comfort to the people of God, though 
they be as lillies among thorns, and as sheep among 
wolves, that they have a God to go to. Come, my 
people, enter into thy chambers, and shut the doors 
about thee ; hide thyself, as it were, for a little mo- 
ment, until the indignation be overpast, Isa. xxvi. 
20. Let the world frown, and friends forsake you, 
God can sweeten all your enjoyments: keepin God's 
way, and you will be sure of God's protection : do 
you keep God's precepts, and He will keep your 
persons ; do what He commands, and avoid what 
He forbids, and then you need not fear what man 
can do unto you. If you would have Him to take 
care of you, you must cast your care upon Him, 
wait on Him, and walk with Him, obey His pre- 
cepts, and believe His promises. 

O ! beloved, let wicked men fall out with us, and 
hate us, and reproach us, as much as they will, 
they cannot hurt us if we keep in with Him; there- 
fore, my beloved, above all things get cflmmunion 



THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVEN. £33 

witn Him, and keep communion with Him; com- 
munion with Him will yield you two heavens, a 
heaven upon earth, and a heaven after death. All 
saints shall enjoy a heaven when they leave earth; 
some saints enjoy a heaven while they are on the 
earth. He enjoys nothing that wants communion 
with God. 

X. Live above the love of life, and the fear oj 
death; and the fear of death, for whosoever shall 
save his life shall lose it ; and whosoever will lose 
his life for my sake shall find it ; Matt. xvi. 25. — 
If any man come to me, and hate not his father and 
mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and 
sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my 
disciple ; Luke xiv. 26. He that loves Christ more 
than his life, will be sure to save and keep both; he 
that goes out of God's way to avoid dangers, shall 
certainly meet with danger. Ye are not your own, 
for ye are bought with a price ; therefore glorify 
God in your body, and in your spirit, which are 
God's, 1st Cor. vi. 19, 20. 

My dear friends, let us live above sufferings and 
fears, though we cannot live without sufferings.—? 
In the world you shall have tribulation; but be of 
good cheer, I have overcome the world; John xvi. 
13. He that loveth Christ above life, will let life 
go rather than Christ. 

Consider, my beloved, Christ and the cloud of 
witnesses and martyrs that are gone before, and 
passed over through all these floods, and safely ar- 
rived'to shore, are now in heaven with God, and 



234 ?HE STRAIGHT WAT TO HEAVEN. 

Christ, and holy angels, where there is fulness of 
joy and pleasure for evermore. Thou wilt show 
me the path of life, in thy presence is fulness of 
joy, and at thy right-hand are pleasures for ever- 
more; Psal. xvi. 11. O ! the joy that they enjoy ! 
O ! the rivers of consolations that flow from God ! 
Therefore they are before the throne of God, and 
serve him day and night in the temple : and he that 
sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. — 
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; 
neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat: 
for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne 
shall lead them unto fountains of living water, and 
God will wipe away all tears from their eyes; Rev. 
vii. 15, 16, 17. Who are they that shall have, all 
this honor, glory, joy, and blessedness in heaven? 
For this see verse 14. These are they which came 
out of great tribulation, and have washed their 
robes, and made them white in the blood of the 
Lamb. The sweetness of the crown which believ- 
ers shall receive, will make them amends for the 
bitterness of the cross which they have carried. 

XI. Desire better hearts more than better times. 

O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness 
that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy 
vain thoughts lodge within thee? Jer. iv. 14. For 
out of the heart proceedeth evil thoughts, murders, 
adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blas- 
phemies, Matt. xv. 16. The heart is deceitful 
above all things, and desperately wicked, who can 
know it ; Jer. xvi. 9 



THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVEtf. \23fi 

O beloved, instead of reforming, we are com- 
plaining of wicked men, and of the wickedness of 
their cruelty, more than our apostacy ; of their in- 
juries against us, more than our injuries against 
God. We pore too much upon second causes, or 
complain of instruments, not of ourselves. We 
have been a long time in sinning, and we had need 
be a long time repenting: the times had not been so 
bad, had we not been so bad, the times would soon 
be better, if we were but better. 

Alas ! beloved, we have sinned such sins as un 
righteous men could not sin; against the clearest 
light, and dearest love: the better God hath been to 
us, the worse we have been to him ; he hath loaded 
us with his mercies, and we have wearied him with 
our sins. Oh ! let us blame ourselves more, and the 
times less, and let us turn unto thje Lord, that he 
may turn unto us in love and mercy : let our hearts 
go out to him, that his heart may come unto us. — 
Oh ! beg and cry for better hearts, that you may 
serve God better: for broken hearts, for sincere 
hearts, for it is that God looks at, and calls for, 
Prov. xxiii. 26: My son give me thine heart. — 
Our hearts are always out of tune to serve God, but 
never out of tune to serve sin : for if we had never 
so good times, and not good hearts, it would rather 

hurt us than bless us. 

XII. Grow downwardin humility, and inward 
in sincerity. Unto me who am less than the least of 
all saints, is grace given, that I should preach among 
the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; Eph. 
iii. 8. Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be 



THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVEN. 

abased ; and he that shall humble himself shall be 
exalted; Matt, xxiii. 12. Put on therefore (as the 
elect of God, holy and beloved) bowels of mercy, 
kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long suf- 
fering. Col. iii. 12, Be clothed with humility: 
for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the 
humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the 
mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due 
time, 1st Pet. v. 5, 6. Bring up your will to God, 
that God may bring down his will to you: be low 
in your own eyes, keep a low esteem of yourselves; 
abhor pride, and flee from it; be inwardly sincere, 
as well as outwardly humble: do not look heaven- 
ward by your profession, and hellward by your 
conversation. He that lives in sin, is dead in sin, 
Eph. ii. 1. Grace be with all them that love our 
Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, Eph. vi. 24. Let 
your hearts be upright with God, and walk as those 
that have God for their portion : knowing there are 
many eyes upon you, the eye of God, the eye of 
Christ, the eye of angels, the eye of saints, the 
eye of the world; and the devils eye you too, there- 
fore walk wisely and sincerely : be like the king's 
daughter, all glorious within; Psal. xlv. 13. She 
is all glorious within, though w T ithin is not all her 
glory, her clothing is wrought of gold. Do you 

think yourselves good, because others think so 

Alas ! the best men's confidence of us are poor evi- 
dences of heaven : the best testimony is that within 
us, and above us. See therefore that ye grow in 
grace, and delight in holiness, bring forth much 



THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVEN. 237 

fruit, live still as before the living God. Take heed 
of hypocrisy and apostacy; make it your daily bus- 
iness to walk with God: be much in the exercise 
of humility; humility will exceedingly adorn your 
profession. Do not place religion in a few good 
words, when the substance is neglected,- but live as 
ye would die : live to-day, as if ye were to die to- 
morrow. 

XIII. Do good to those that be good. 

He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and 
what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly 
and love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God, 
Micah vi. 8. That they do good, that they be rich 
in good works, ready to distribute, willing to com- 
Viunicate, 1st Tim. vi. 18. But to do good, and 
to communicate, forget not, for with such sacrifices 
He is well pleased, Heb. xiii. 6. Pure religion 
and undefiled before God and the Father, is this, to 
visit the fatherless and widows in their afflictions, 
James i. 22. Forget not to contribute to the ne- 
cessities of the poor saints; think that God hath 
given you your estates for such a time as this. 

Oh, beloved, what an opportunity have you now 
to do good, if Satan do not hinder you ? Are there 
not many of Christ's ministers now in want, and 
members in want ? some in prison and some out of 
prison? Remember those that are in bonds, as 
bound with them ; and them that suffer adversity, 
as being yourselves also in the body; Heb. xiii. 3. 
There be many men that have a great deal of this 
world's wealth in their hands and in their houses. 



THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVEN. 

\ 

but have no grace in their hearts; and taerefore 
they do not good with the goods of this world: they 
live so unfaithful, that their lives are scarce worth 
a prayer, and their deaths scarce worth a tear. 
Many may as well go to hell for not doing good, as 
for doing evil. He that bears not good fruit, is as 
well fuel for hell, as he that bears bad. You may 
not be outwardly bad, and yet not inwardly good : 
you may be as far from grace as from vice; men 
are not so much sent to hell for doing evil, as for 
not doing good: For I was an hungred, and ye gave 
me no meat ; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no 
drink ; Matt. xxv. 42. The rich glutton was in 
hell's torments, not for persecuting Lazarus. Me- 
roz was cursed by the angel, not because they fough' 
against the Lord, but because they came not to the 
help of the Lord against the mighty; Judg. v. 23. 
It is one of the greatest mercies in the world, for 
God to give a man a heart to do good with that he 
hath given him. 

Oh ! beloved, oe always doing good, and hating 
evil, look not only where you may get good, but 
where you may do good; labor to be helpful to the 
souls of others, and supply the wants of others. 

XIV. Choose chastisement before defilement. 

Moses, when he was come to years, refused to 
be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing 
rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, 
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, Heb. 
xi. 24, 25. For ye had compassion on me in my 
bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, 



THE STRAIGHT. WAY TO HBAVKN.: '239 

knowing in yourselves, that you have in heaven a 
better and an enduring substance ; Heb. x. 34. So 
the three children chose burning in the fiery furnace, 
before bowing to the golden image. Dan. iii. 16, 
17, 18. We are not careful to answer thee in this 
matter: if it be so, our God whom we serve is able 
to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace ; and he 
will deliver us out of thy hand, O king: but if not 
be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not 
serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which 
thou hast set up. So Daniel chose suffering be 
fore sinning. And it is- said of those in Heb. xi 
35, They accepted not of deliverance, and others 
were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they 
might obtain a better resurrection. 

Oh ! beloved, there is more evil in the least sin 
against Christ, than in the greatest sufferings for 
Christ. 

1. Our sufferings for Christ are but light, 2 
Cor. iv. 17. 2. But short, but for a moment. 3. 
Christ stands by us in our sufferings. 4. Our suf- 
ferings are ordered by the Father. 5. Our suffer- 
ings shall not hurt our souls. 6. God gives us the 
best of comforts in the worst of times : we have 
most of consolation from God, when we have most 
of tribulation from men: as our sufferings do abound, 
so our consolations do abound: when the burden 
is heaviest upon the back, then the peace of con- 
science is sweetest and greatest within. There- 
fore, my dear brethren, keep yourselves out of the 
puddle of this world, and from the evil of this world 



240 THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVEN. 

and if you must sin or suffer, choose suffering be- 
fore sinning. 

XV. Think not the worst of godliness, because 
it is frowned upon; nor the better of ungodliness 
because it is smiled upon 

For bodily exercise profiteth little; but godli- 
ness is profitable unto all things, having the promise 
of the life that now is, and that which is to come ; 
1st Tim. iv. 8. Yea doubtless, and I count all 
things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge 
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffer 
ed the loss of all things, and do count them but 
dung, that I may win Christ; Phil. iii. 8. And 
have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of 
darkness: but rather reprove them, Eph. v. 11. — 
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift ©f God 
is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Eom. 
vi. 23. 

Oh! friends, think not the worse of holiness be- 
cause it is reproached^ scorned, and persecuted by 
wicked men and devils ; nor the better of wicked- 
ness because wicked men love it, follow it, and say, 
It is in vain to serve God ; and what profit is it that 
we have kept his ordinances, and that we have 
walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts ? Mai. 
iii. 14. But there is a time coming, when ungod- 
ly men would be glad of some of that holiness that 
now they despise : but they shall be as far from ob- 
taining it, as they are now from desiring it. Let 
us therefore love holiness, and hate wickedness; for 
without holiness no man shall see the Lord. Heb. 



THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVE*. 241 

di. 15. Holiness is the only way to happiness. 
We must not dress oui selves for another world by 
<he looking glass of this world. Thou shalt not 
/ollow a multitude to do evil, Exod. xxiii. 2. For 
many walk of whom I have told you often, and 
now tell you even weeping, that they are the ene- 
mies of the cross of Christ; whose end is destruc- 
tion; whose God is their belly, and whose glory is 
their shame, and who mind earthly things, Phil, 
iii. 18, 19. The children of God must be harm- 
less in their actings, and blameless in their walking. 

XVI. Prize the word of God by the worth of 
% that you may never come to prize the word of 
rod by the want of iL 

How sweet are thy words unto my taste ! yea, 
sweeter than honey to my mouth, Psal. cxix. 103. 
It is sweeter than the honey, and the honey comb, 
Psal. xix. 10. O how do I ldve thy law ! Psalm 
cxix. 97. I love thy commandments above gold ; 
yea, above fine gold. The law of thy mouth is bet- 
ter to me than thousands of gold and silver, verse 
72. As new born babes, desire the sincere milk of 
the word, that ye may grow thereby; 1 Pet. ii. 2. 
Let the word of God dwell richly in you : not on- 
ly with you, but in you, Col. iii. 16. O! let us 
with Job, esteem the word of God above our ne- 
cessary food, Job xxiii. 12. And with David, 
above our gold and silver. The delight of a saint 
in Gods word, over-tops all his creature delight j 
wicked men can delight in the creatures of God, 
but none in the word of God : they can delight in 
M 



242 THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HtiAVEN* 

the gifts of God, but none in the God of gifts. — 
Oh ! let us love the word, let us prize the word , 
it is the sun of the Christian world, as the sun is 
the light of the natural world ; and without it the 
world is but a chaos, and a dungeon full of dark- 
ness ; so is the word of God the light of the spirit- 
itual world, without which a Christian is in eternal 
night. Take away the scriptures, and there will 
be no certain rule to direct men what is to be done, or 
what is to be believed. All false ways are here 
discovered, all sins are here forbidden, all holiness 
is here commended : here you may see every action 
and motion of our lives as a step to life, or a step 
to death; and as a step heavenward. O ! therefore 
prize and obey the word. 1. It is a plain word. 
2. It is a uniform word. 3. It is a sure word. 4. 
It is a powerful word. It is the favor of life unto 
life, unto them that believe. 

O beloved ! let us read the word, and abide in 
the word : If ye continue in the word, then are ye 
my disciples, John viii. 31. The less now you 
hear, the more do you read, the little book of the 
Revelation, and Daniel especially. 
. f XVII. Have a care of the whore of Babylon's 
golden cup, and sweet wine. 

And the woman was arrayed in purple, and scar- 
let color; and decked with gold and precious stones, 
and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full ot 
abominations and filthiness of her abominations; 
Rev. xvii. 4. And the servant cast out of his 
mouth waters as a flood after the woman, that he 



THE STRArGHT WAY TO HEAVBN 243 

might cause her to be carried away of the flood ; 
Rev. xii. 13. Let me beseech you to have a care 
of this, and keep yourselves from this ; be like the 
virgin spouse of Christ, who followeth him where- 
soever he goeth. 

My dear friends, keep yourselves from four 
things. 

First, From false teachers. The devil hath his 
ministers as well as Christ. Beware of false proph- 
ets, which come to you in sheeps clothing, but in- 
wardly they are ravening wolves: Matt. vii. 15. — 
Yea, they are greedy dogs, they can never have 
enough ; and they are shepherds that cannot under- 
stand : they all look to their own way, every one 
for his gain from his quarter, Isa. lvi. 11. Oh! 
false teachers do not feed the flock, but fleece the 
flock; they do not convert, but pervert; they do not 
season, but poison; they do not edify for salvation, 
but edify for damnation ; instead of curing souls, 
they kill souls; so they have but the people's goods, 
they care not though the devil have their souls ; 
they are neither rightly called, rightly qualified, nor 
rightly ordained: their course is evil, and therefore 
it is not right, Jer. xiii. 10. They are dogs and 
wolves combining together to massacre the flock of 
"Christ. O ! therefore keep yourselves from Baby- 
lon's merchants, that make merchandise of the souls 
of men; Eev. xviii. 13. Oh ! the sins of teachers 
are the teachers of sin. 

Secondly. From false doctrine. But there were 
false prophets among the people, even as there shall 



244 THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVEK. 

be false teachers among you ; who privily shall 
bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord 
that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift 
destruction, 2 Pet. ii. 1. Be not carried away with 
divers and strange doctrines ; for it is a good thing 
that the heart be established with grace, not with 
meats, which have not profitted them that have been 
occupied therein, Heb. xiii. 9. 

I beseech you also in the Lord, my brethren, that 
you do not carnally comply with, nor superstitiously 
conform to the inventions of men ; but stand fast in 
the liberality wherewith Christ hath made you free. 
Gal. v. 1. " 

Thirdly. From false worship. If any man wor- 
ship the beast and his image, and receive his mark 
in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall 
drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is 
poured out without mixture into the cup of his in- 
dignation ; and he shall be tormented with fire and 
brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and 
in the presence of the Lamb ; Rev. xiv. 9, 10. Ye 
worship, ye know not what. God is a spirit, and 
they that worship him must worship him in spirit 
and in truth, John iv. 22, 24 . As there be some in 
the world that worship false gods, so there be others 
that worship the true God with false worship. 
They that worship the beast, worship the devil, 
Rev. xiii. Oh ! meddle not with false worship, 
vith vain worship, and will worship ; worship God 
as he teacheth us to worship him. Our work is to 



THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVEN. 243 

depend on Christ's work ; our outward working is 
to depend on God's inward working. 

Fourthly. From false opinions ; from error and 
sedition. Let your hearts be upright, your judg- 
ments sound, and your lives holy. Love the trutht 
obey the truth, and hold fast the truth. Now be- 
loved, let me beseech you for God's sake, for Christ's 
sake, and for your soul's sake, keep yourselves from 
false teachers, false doctrine, false worship, and 
false opinions. If you will be tasting and sipping 
at Babylon's cup, you must resolve to receive mor« 
or less of Babylon's plagues. 

XVIII. Be one ivith every one that is one wit! 
Christ. 

Endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the 
bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit, 
even as ye are called in one hope of your calling: 
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Fa- 
ther of us all, who is above all, and through all : 
Eph. iv. 3, 4, 5, 6. Every one that loveth him tha( 
begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him*, By 
this we know that we love the children of God, 
when we love God and keep his commandments ; 1 
John v. 1, 2. He that loveth not his brother whom 
he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath 
not seen? John iv. 20. 

OI consider what a dishonor it is to the gospel, 
that those that profess themselves sons of the same 
God, members of the same Christ, temples of the 
same Spirit, heirs of the same glory, should be jar- 
ring one with another ; it is strange and unnatural, 



246 THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVEN. 

tfiat they who are saints in profession, should be 
devils in practice one to another ; that God : s dia- 
monds should cut one another ! For wolves to de- 
vour the lambs, is no wonder; but for lambs to de- 
vour one another, is a wonder, and monstrous. Oh 
that Christians, instead of loving one another, 
should hate one another ! O how unlike are we to 
that God whom we profess to be our God ! He is 
full of love, full of goodness, and full of mercy and 
patience. O ! but Christians cannot bear and for- 
bear one with another. Oh ! do not wicked men 
warm themselves at the sparks of our divisions, and 
say, it is as we would have it. 

Oh ! beloved, hath not God made his wrath to 
smoke against us, for the divisions and heart burn- 
ings that been amongst us ! O ! that you would lay 
this to heart, and throw away discord, divisions and 
heart-burnings, and labor for an oneness in love and 
affection, with every one that is one with Christ. 
O labor for a healing spirit. You cannot love God, 
if yon do not love the people of God. If any man 
saith he loveth God, and hate his brother, he is a 
liar. Let brotherly love continue, Heb. xiii. 1. 
They that feared the Lord, spake often one to an- 
other, Mai. iii. 16. Christ's doves flock together. 
There be many that cannot love a man unless he 
be of their opinion ; or a member of their church, 
though he be a member of Christ. Every man 
hath a good opinion of his own opinion ; but, alas! 
beloved, it is not this opinion, nor that opinion, 
nor this way, nor that way, will bring a man to 



THE STRAIGHT WAY Td HEAVEN-. 24T 

heaven, without faith in Christ ; he that hath faith 
in Christ, hath a right to all the .ordinances of 
Christ, promises of Christ, and privileges of Christ. 
Therefore, let me beseech you, to love every man 
that is a godly man, let him be of what way and 
form he will ; And the multitude of them that be- 
lieved were of one heart, and of one soul, Acts 
iv. 32. 

XIX. Love Christ wita a love stronger than 
life, who loved us with a love stronger than death. 

Therefore doth my Father love me, because I 
lay down my life, that I might take it again. No 
man taketh it from me, but I lay it down, myself: 
I have power to lay it down, and I have power to 
take it up again, John x. 17, 18. This is a faith- 
ful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus 
Christ came into the world to seek and save sin- 
ners, 1 Tim. i. 15. 

Christ's love to us was stronger than death. H'e 
died for love ; he laid down his life to save our.lives; 
he loves us as the Father loves him., Johnxv. 9. 
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you; 
continue ye in my love. Oh, the scripture hath 
exceeding high expressions of his affections to us. 
Now beloved, he died for us, suffered for us, and 
set his heart upon us to love us, and to delight in us; 
how ought we then to love him again? Thou shalt 
love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with 
all thy soul, and i> ith all thy mind, Mat. xxvii. 37. 
Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is 
none upon the earth that I desire besides thee, Psah 



THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVE*.; „ 

Ixxiii. 25. Unto you therefore that believe he It 
precious, 1 Peter ii. 7. O! let your hearts be full 
of love and affection to Christ; love will breed 
courage, and cast out slavish fear before God, and 
and carnal fear before men. God can keep us from 
the torments of men, but men cannot keep us from 
the torments of God ; whilst we stand by God, 
God hath promised to stand by us : therefore be not 
afraid of an authority that stands in opposition to 
the authority of Christ ; none can promise bettei 
than Christ can, none can threaten us worse than 
Christ can. Can any one promise us a better thing 
than heaven? Can any one threaten us with worse 
than hell? Heaven is promised to them that love 
him, and hell is to be the portion of those that hate 
him. 

Oh ! my dear brethren, let us lave him with a 
love stronger than death: so did Paul and the rest 
of the Apostles. Who shall separate us from the 
love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or 
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, etor 
sword ? Rom. viii. 35. Love is stronger than death, 
many waters cannot quench it, neither can the floods 
drown it, Cant. viii. 6, 1. 

• XX. Be every day as serious in your prepar- 
ations for deaths as if it were your last day. 

All the days of my appointed time will I wait 
till my change come, Job xiv. 14. This night thy 
soul shall be required of thee, Luke xx. 20. For 
what is your life ? It is even a vapor that appear- 
eth a little time, and then vanisheth away, James 



THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVEN. 249 

iv. 14. Behold thou hast made my days as an 
hand-breath, and mine age is as nothing before thee. 
Verily, every man at his best state is altogether 
vanity, Psal. lix. 5. 

As no saint knows when that time or hour shall 
be, so no wicked man knows when it shall be. To 
live without the fear of death, is to die living. To 
labor not to die, is to labor in vain. Men are 
afraid to die in such and such sins, but not afraid 
o live in such and such sins. Oh ! the hell of 
horrors and terrors that attends those souls that have 
their greatest work to do when they come to die ! 
Therefore as ye would be happy at death, and ev- 
erlastingly blessed after death, prepare and set your- 
selves for death. Did Christ die for us, that we 
might live with him ; and shall not we desire to 
die, and be with him ? A believer's dying day is 
his crowning day. And I heard a voice from heav- 
en, saying unto me, Write, blessed are the dead 
which die in the Lord, from henceforth ; yea, saith 
the Spirit, that they may rest from their labor, and 
their works do follow them, Rev. xi'v. 13. 

Oh ! I beseech you, my brethren, every day spend 
some time in preparation for, and meditation of 
death, judgment, hell, heaven and eternity. Eter- 
nity is a sum that can never be numbered, a line that 
can never be measured : eternity is a condition of 
everlasting sorrow, or everlasting joy. O think on 
this, and prepare for this every day, before the night 
of death comes. 



260 THE STRAIGHT WAY TO HEAVEN. 

And thus, my beloved, I have given you these 
twenty precious directions, for your souls. 

I shall leave this book with you as a legacy of 
my dearest love. My desire in all this is your 
happiness here, and your blessedness hereafter. 

My earnest and humble desire of you is, that you 
would mind this book and my former treatises, not 
only read, but reform your lives by them. O ! do 
your duty, and live in your duty, love your duty ; 
that you may be made meet to be made partakers 
of the inheritance of the saints of light ; which is 
and shall be, the earnest and constant prayer of one 
that esteems it a most glorious privilege to be of the 
number of those who follow the Lamb whitherso- 
ever he goeth. 

WILLIAM DYER. 



FALLOW THE LAMB. 261 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 

The title of this Book tells us, it is the Revela- 
tion of John, and John tells us, chap. i. 1 It is 
the Revelation of Jesus Christ; Christ's Revela- 
tion to John, and John's Revelation to us. 

The command of this bobk is set forth in chap, 
i. 19. Write these things that are, and the things 
that shall be hereafter. 

And into these two parts this book is divided. 

First, A revelation of the things that is refered 
to the seven churches of Asia. 

Secondly, A revelation of the general estate of 
the church to come, and from John's time unto the 
second comeing of the Lord. 

The words of this book are the true sayings of 
the true God: They are therefore true and faith- 
ful, chap. xxii. 6. 

The matter of this book so much concerns the 
good of the church, that Jesus Christ commandeth 
every one that hath an ear to hear, to hearken what 
the spirit of God saith unto the church; and to 
shew how earnest Christ Jesus is, to have all his 
members and servants acquainted with the things 
revealed in this book; this charge he repeats eigh A , 
times over, as this book shows, chap. ii. 11, 17, 
29. and chap. vii. 6, 52; and xii. 9. 

A blessing is pronounced on the reader, hearer, 



262 FOLLOW THE LAMB. 

and doer of these things written in this bdok, chap, 
xiii. O what can be said more, or more effectually 
to stir us up to hear and read than blessedness? 

And blessed is he that keepeth the words of the 
prophecy of this book, chap. xxii. 7. But how 
shall we keep them except we know them? And 
how shall we know them except we read them ? 

The excellency of this book is such as neither 
man nor angel, none in heaven nor earth, nor under 
the earth, was found worthy so much as to look 
into it till Jesus Christ went and took it out of his 
Father's hand to open it to us, chap. v. 4. 

The blessed St. John could not but weep for 
fear, lest this book should have been kept close 
from him and the church; so earnest was he to 
know these things which we neglect to know, chap. 
v, 4. 

This book is a most precious jewel which Christ 
hath bestowed upon his church in the latter days; 
and it is our great duty to look into it, read it, study 
it, open it and expound it, that all the people may 
be acquainted with it; especially in these times. 
For now in this age, is, and shall be, the very heat 
of the war, and brunt of the battle between God 
and Belial, between Christ and antichrist, between 
the Lamb's followers and the beast's followers. 
Now this book layeth all open, and plainly telleth 
us what shall be the issue and success in the day of 
battle, which side shall have the victory, and which 
side shall go down, chap. xvii. 19. And certainly 
the sons of Belial shall not prevail: and the date 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 263 

of their being is almost out, and their time draweth 
on a pace, wherein both they and their beast shall 
be laid in the dust. 

This book sheweth us the rising of the beast, the 
declining of the beast, and the ruin of the beast, 
chap, xviii. 

Our Lord Jesus hath showed in this book, the 
sorrow, sufferings, afflictions, and tribulations which 
the church was to meet with in the latter times, 
xi. 7. — xii. 14, 15. — xiii. 7. 

And her deadly and her cruel enemies, the whore 
of Babylon, the mother of harlots, the beast, the 
false prophets, and the great red dragon, which 
maketh war againat her, and casteth out floods after 
her, chap. xii. 16. 

This book showeth us likewise the true estate of 
the true church upon earth, and what she is, where 
she is, how she is, and what she shall be hereafter: 
and that before the slaying, under the slaying, and 
after the slaying. 

1. Before the slaying time the true church is in 
the wilderness, where she hath a place, prepared 
for her of God, that they should feed her a thousand 
two hundred and threescore days, chap. xii. 2. 

Before the slaying of the witnesses, the true wor- 
shipers of God are in a low condition, in heaviness 
and sadness, in sackcloth and ashes, in a mourning 
and suffering state, being scattered and dispersed 
here and there, as Israel was of old. But though 
this be the condition of the poor woman in the wil- 
derness, yet she is not without comfort, she may 
take comfort in three things. 



264 FOLLOW THE LAMB. 

1. That God prepared a place for her. 2. That 
God nourished her, and locked her up in his cham- 
ber of providence. 3. That God numbered her 
days of suffering. The tribulation of the saints in 
the Old Testament, is reckoned up still by years; 
as the bondage of Egypt 430 years, and the captivi- 
ty of Babylon 70 years, but under the New Testa- 
ment by days, Ye shall have tribulation ten days: 
chap. ii. 10. And the two witnesses shall lie dead 
three days and a half, chap. xi. 9. So the wo- 
man was to be in the wilderness, a thousand two 
hundred and three score days. 

The church is compared to a woman for four 
reasons. 

1. As a woman is weak and feeble, so is the 
church, and can do nothing without Christ, John. 
xv. 5. 

2. As a woman is useful and fruitful, so is the 
church, John. xv. 2. 

3. As a woman is fair and beautiful, so is the 
church, Ezek. xvi. 13. * 

4. As a woman is full of love and affection, so 
is the church, Cant. ii. 5. 

1. Under the slaying-times, the worshipers of 
God, and witnesses of Jesus Christ lay dead on the 
streets of the great city, which spiritually is called 
Sodom and Egypt; chap. xi. 18. That is in an- 
tichrists kingdoms and dominions. The woman 
which thou sawest, is that great city which reign- 
eth over the kings of the earth, chap. xvii. 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 265 

She is called Sodom for her filthiness and wick- 
edness, and Egypt for her cruelty and oppresion; 
chap.xvii. 18.. 

The true servants of God, and members of Jesus 
Christ that bare witness for him against the evils 
of the beast, and against the evils of the world, are 
here called two witnesses. 1. Because of the few- 
ness of them. 2. Because two is a number suffi- 
cient to bear witness ; John. viii. 17. 

3. Because antichrist's beasts are called two: 
chap.xiii. 

4. They are called witnesses for six reasons. 
First. Because their work is to bear witness for 

Christ and his truth, against the world, the flesh 
and the devil. A true believer is to bear a three- 
fold testimony to, and for Christ; a word testimony, 
a life testimony, and a blood testimony, Heb. xii. 
John. v. 33. 

Secondly. Christ's members are called witness- 
es, because they stand up for 'Christ to maintain 
his name, his honor, his cause, his truth, his wor- 
ship, his glory in the world. Dan. iii. 16. 17. 18. 
and chap. vi. And ye killed the Prince of Life 
whom God hath raised from the dead, whereof ye 
are witnesses, Acts. v. 15. Be it known unto you 
all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the 
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye cruci- 
fied, whom God raised from the dead, even by 
him doth this man stand here before you whole, 
Acts. iv. 10. 



256 FOLLOW THE LAMB. 

Thirdly. The Lamb's followers are called wit- 
nesses, because they keep the testimony of Jesu* 
Christ; Eev. xii. 16. and vi. 9. A testimony of 
all the offices, works and kingdoms of Jesus Christ, 
as King of saints, and King of nations. 

Fourthly. God's chosen and precious ones 
are called witnesses, because they do appear boldly 
and openly for his truth; they own it, they love it, 
thsy publish it, they hold it fast, and suffer for it; 
who through the teaching of the Spirit in the word, 
and by the power of the same Spirit, are found in 
die practice of Christ's appointment; they cannot 
deny the truth, which is a testimony of it, Acts, 
xxiv, 14. 

Fifthly. The true worshippers of God are call- 
ed witnesses, because they do bear witness against 
the beast, and all the whole mystery of iniquity; 
against the whore of Babylon, who hath committed 
fornication with the kings of the earth, and made 
herself drunk with the blood of the saints. Rev. 
xvii. 6. 

Christ's faithful witnesses bear an eminent testi- 
mony against all the abominations, filthiness, and 
wickedness, against the pope, his government, his 
clergy, his doctrine, his worship, his religion, and 
his abominable proceedings, Rev.xix. 7. 

Sixthly. Christ's redeemed ones are called 
witnesses, because in dying they bear witness for 
him; for to die for the truth is a living standing tes- 
timony to it. He who for Christ's sake loves not 
his life unto the death, dies a most glorious witness 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 26? 

of Christ, chap. xii. 11. And they loved noT 
their lives unto death, and the beast that came out 
of the bottomless pit made war against them, ana 
overcame them and killed them, chap. xi. 7. 

Antichrist riseth in a double beast, in his civil 
power, and in his eclesiastical power. 

First. In his civil power; so he makes up one 
beast with the ten kings, chap. xix. 12. And this 
is the beast that riseth out of the sea, which hath 
seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten 
crowns, and upon his head the name of blasphemy. 
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leop- 
ard, and his feet were like unto the feet of a bear; 
and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the drag- 
on gave him his power, and his seat, and great au- 
thority, chap. xiii. 1, 2. 

Secondly. In the ecclesiastical power, so he 
makes up another beast, the clergy; and this is that 
beast that rose out of the earth; he hath two horns 
like a lamb, and he spoke like a dragon, verse. 11. 

Now these two monstrous beasts, antichrist's 
magistrates and ministers, slay the faithful witness- 
es of Jesus Christ, rejoice over their dead bones, 
make merry and send gifts one to another; chap. xi. 
10. Oh, how do graceless, faithless, and Christ- 
less men rejoice at the afflictions and calamities of 
God's people ! saying, where now is your God, and 
Christ your King? Psal. xlii. 10. 

As touching the nature of the witnesses death, we 
are not to conceive thereof, as though the same were 
to be a corporal killing or slaying, but a civil killing 



258 FOLLOW THE LAMB. 

or slaying; not so much their bodies as their 
testimonies, depriving and stripping them of their 
liberty, worship, ordinances, religion, and the free 
exercise of their gifts, suffering not a servant of Je- 
sus Christ to bear a testimony against the abomina- 
tions of the beast, nor against her national wicked- 
ness; but make laws against them, and lie in wait 
for them, stopping their mouths, and imprisoning 
their bodies, beating and hunting them up and 
down, afflicting and tormenting them, and taking 
possession of their possessions, killing and slaying 
them all the day long, and accounting them as 
sheep for the slaughter: Eom. viii. 36. 

This is to be broken in the place of dragons, and 
covered with the shadow of death. Psal. xliv. 36. 

This is to be killed all the day long; and upon 
this account the witnesses are said to be slain. 

And after three days and a half, the Spirit of life 
from God entered into them, and they stood upon 
their feet; and great fear fell' upon them that saw 
them. chap. xi. 11. And they had a spirit of 
boldness aud courage, zeal and undauntedness, and 
resolution to appear for Christ and his cause, 
against antichrist and the whole brood. Therefore 
rejoice all ye saints, and be glad all ye upright in 
heart: though the witnesses be dead, they will not 
always be dead, but rise again. 

2. After the slaying time, the church is with 
the Lamb on mount Sion. chap. xiv. 1. And I 
looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on mount Sion, and 
with him an hundred forty and four thousand, hav- 
ing his Father's name written in their forehead; 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. J69 

which notes a fixed state. Those which trust in 
the Lord shall be as mount Sion, which cannot 
be moved, Psal. cxxv. 1. 

Before the slaying time, the church is very low, 
bnt under the slaying time, lower: but after the 
slaying time the church is very high; she is rejoi- 
cing, shining, and triumphing on mount Sion. — 
And they sung, as it were a new song, before the 
throne, and before the four beasts, and elders, and 
no man could learn that song, but the hundred for- 
ty and four thousand which were redeemed from 
the earth. 

The true church having gotten the glorious pres-r 
ence of the Lamb, and the Lamb in the midst of 
her ; and having gotten the victory over the beast, 
they rejoice mightily 

And I heard a voice of harpers playing with 
their harps. 

But this was not till after the resurrection of the 
witnesses; and when the witnesses are risen, the 
church is exceeding joyful. 

This chapter out of which my text is taken, 
containeth six principal things. 

First. A lovely description of Jesus Christ, he 
is described by the similitude of a Lamb. Lo a 
Lamb stood upon mount Sion. ver. 4 ; And be- 
hold the Lamb of God. John. i. 29. 

He is called a Lamb in a double respect; 1. In 
respect to his innocency ; 1 Pet. 1. 19.2. In re- 
spect to his meekness and patience. Acts. vii. 22. 

Secondly. A lively description of the church 



26V FOLLOW THE LAMB. 

the Lamb's wife, and that from verse 1. to vefsfe 5, 

Thirdly. A glorious description of the church's 
ministers. As the church is in this book called 
heaven, so her ministers are called angels. And 
. I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, 
having the everlasting gospel, ver. 6. And there 
followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, 
ver. 8. And the third angel followed him, saying, 
with a loud voice, &c. ver. 9. 

Fourthly. Here is set down the doctrine which 
these angels preach and publish. 

The first angel published the free groce of God 
in Jesus Christ openly against fill the inventions of 
men, saying with a loud voice, fear God, and give 
glory to him; and worship him that made heaven 
and earth, and the sea and the fountains of waters, 
verse. 7. Namely that men should once fear God, 
and worship him, and give all the glory to him; 
none to creatures, none to images, none to antichrist: 
he that worshipeth the beast, worshipeth the beast 
and the devil, chap. xiii. 

The second angel proclaimed the utter ruin of Bab- 
ylon, and the destruction thereof over the world; say* 
ing, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, the great city; 
because she hath made all nations drink of the wine 
of the wrath of her fornication, ver. 8. 

The third angel doth seriously and solemnly give 
warning to all those who shall adhere to the beast, 
and his image, and receive his mark in his fore- 
head, or in his hand, the same shall drink c»f the 
wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 261 

without mixture, into the cup of his indignation, 
and he shall be tormented, with fire and brimstone, 
in the presence of the holy angels, and in the pres- 
ence of the Lamb, ver. 0. 10. 

Fifthly. A sweet word of heavenly consolation 
to the saints and people of God: And I heard a 
voice from heaven, saying unto me, Write, blessed 
are the dead which die in the Lord, from hencefortl . 
they rest from their labours, and their works do fol ~ 
low them, ver. 13. 

Sixthly. The judgment and vengeance which 
shall be executed upon the false church; the 
Spirit doth set it forth by a double similitude, the 
one by reaping and the other by gathering; that from 
ver. 16 to the end. God will, as it were, rain 
hell out of heaven upon Babylon; he hath fire 
and brimstone for his Spiritual Sodom, judgement 
without mercy, and fury without compassion. 

I shall now come to the words of my tex, There 
are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he 
goeth. 

This text is one of the golden characters of the 
hundred forty and four thousand, which stood with 
the Lamb upon mount Sion. 

In these words are three things. 1 . The subject, 
these. 2. The act, follows. The object, the Lawb 
whithersoever he goeth. 

I shall gather this observation from the words, 
That it is the sweetest temper and frame of a soul 
truly gracious, to follow the Lamb whithersoever 
goeth. In the handling of this point, I shall show 
.vou five things : 



262 FOLLOW THE L^MB. 

First. What is it to follow the Lamb 

Secondly. Why they follow the Lamo. 

Thirdly. The excellency of following the Lamb. 

Fourthly. The misery of them that follow not 
the Lamb. 

Fifthly. How the Lamb's followers may be 
known from the beast's followers. 

First. To follow the Lamb whithersoever he 
goeth is to follow him in four things. 

First, In his commandments ; if ye love me* 
keep my commandments, John xiv. 15. Ye are 
my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you, 
chap. xv. 4. Blessed are they that do his com- 
mandments, that they may have a right to the tree 
of life. Rev. xxii. 14. Oh, beloved, w r e cannot 
follow the Lamb withersoever he goeth, unless we 
follow him in his commandments; then shall I not 
be ashamed, saith David, when I have a respect 
unto all thy commandments, Psal. xix. 6. Chris- 
tians should take as much delight in those precepts 
that enjoin holiness, as in those promises that assure 
happiness. 

Secondly. In his teaching: My sheep hear my 
voice, and I know them, and they follow me ; John 
x. 27. A stranger they will not follow, but will flee 
from him ; for they know not the voice of a stran- 
ger, verse 5. 

Thirdly. In his providences; through all afflic- 
tions, ajl straits, all discouragements and sorrows 
whatsoever, though it be the way of blood, we must 
forsake all jo *bIlow a crucified Christ, a condemned 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 263 

Christ, in bloody paths of sufferings if he call us 
to it. Yea, though I walk through the dark valley 
of the shadow of deat, I will fear no evil ,• lor thou 
art with me, thy rod and staff they comfort me, 
Psal. xxiii. 4. For saith Paul, I am ready not to 
be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem, for the 
name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must be wiF 
ling to venture the loss of all for him, liberty, estates, 
relations, and life itself; we have forsaken all and 
followed thee, Mat. xix. 27. 

Fourthly. In his example : For I have given 
you an example, that you should do as I have done 
to you, John xiii. 15. That because Christ hath 
suffered for us, leaving an example that we should 
follow his steps, I Pet. ii. 2T. So that to follow 
Christ's steps is to take him for an example : we 
must walk in the same spirit, the same steps, and m 
the same obedience ; we must not follow wicked 
men's example, who walk in the broad way that 
leads to death, and are of their father the devil and 
his works they do, John viii. 44. But we must fol- 
low our head, Christ, who' went up and down doing 
good, Acts x. 8. Now this is to follow the Lamb 
whithersoever he goeth in his commands, in his 
teaching, in his providences, in his examples. 

Secondly. To follow the Lamb whithersoever 
he goeth, is to follow him truly, without hypocrisy 5 
an'd constantly without apostac^ 

First. Truly without hypocrisy: many follow the 

Lord, as beggars follow a man, only for an alms ; 

hey prize the wages of religion, above the works 



264 FOLLOW THE LAMB. 

of religion. You seek not me, because of the miiv 
acles, but because you did eat of the loaves and 
were filled, John vi. 26. Oh, beloved, God abhors 
an hypocrite more than a Sodomite ; and hell is 
provided on purpose for hypocrites, Mat. xxiv. 61. 

My beloved, following the Lamb fully, is to have 
the heart fixed and resolved for God. My soul fol* 
lows hard after thee, saith David, Psal. lxiii. 8. 
And as the heart panteth after the water brooks, 
so panteth my soul after thee, O God, Psal. xlii. 1. 
And the faculties of his soul are working after God 
My soul and all that is within me, praise the Lord, 
saith holy David. 

Secondly. Constantly without apostacy. 

A true believer after he begins to follow the Lamb 
he never leaves following him, but followeth him 
wheresoever he goes. Who shall separate us from 
the love of Christ? Rom. viii. 25; Shall tribula 
tion, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or na- 
kedness, or peril, or sword? For I am persuaded 
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor princi- 
palities, nor powers, northings present, northings 
to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other crea- 
ture, shall be able to separate us from the love of 
God, w r hich is in Christ Jesus our Lord, ver. 38, 
39. Oh, beloved, he doth not follow the Lamb 
whithersoever he goes, that follow the Lamb earn- 
estly for a while, but afterwards forsaketh him when 
the storm ariseth : Yet hath he no root in himself, 
but dureth for a while, for when tribulation, or per- 
secution s.riseth, because of the word, by and by he 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. £65 

is offended, Mat. xiii. 21. Nor he that follows the 
Lamb in some things, and the beast in other things: 
They feared the Lord, and served other gods, after 
the manner of the nations. Nor he that followeth 
the Lord in a dull heavy manner, and luke warm 
temper ; I know thy works that thou art neither 
cold nor hot ; I would that thou wert either cold or 
hot, Rev. iii. 15. Be astonished, O ye heavens, at 
this, and be horribly afraid, be very desolate, said 
the Lord. For my people have committed two 
evils, they have forsaken me the fountain of living 
water, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, 
that can hold no water, Jer. ii. 12, 15. 

Oh ! this is not following the Lamb ; they that 
follow the Lord fully, abide in the Lord, and cleave 
to the Lord, and continue constantly in God's ways 
unto the end of their days. The righteous shall 
hold on his way, Job xvii. 9. Then shall we know 
if we follow on to know the Lord, Hosea vi. 3. 
The righteous man holds on his way, he follows 
the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. 

1. Speedily. 2. Truly. 3. Undividedly. 4, 
Zealously. 5. Humbly. 6. Cheerfully. 7. Dil- 
igently. 8. Constantly. 9, Faithfully. W. 
Transcendently. 

Now this is to follow the Lamb whithersoever ha 
goeth. 

Now I shall show you why believers follow the 

Lamb. 

First. Because they are redeemed by the blood 
of the Lamb. For as much as ye know that ye 

N 



264 FOLLOW THE LAMB, 

were not the redeemed with corruptible things, as 
silver and gold, from your vain conversation, re- 
ceived by tradition from your fathers, but with the 
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without 
blemish, or without spot, 2 Pet. i. 18, 1&. 

He paid a price for our redemption, that so he 
might discharge the debt of our sins. And they 
sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take 
the book, and to open the seal thereof ; for thou was( 
slain and hast redemed us to God by thy blood, out 
of every kindred and tongue, and people, and na- 
tion, Rev. v. 9. 

There are three things called precious in the scrip- 
ture. 

First. Faith is called precious, 2 Pet. i. 2. 

Secondly. The promises are called precious, 
verse 4. 

Thirdly. The blood of Christ is called precious, 
IPet.i. 9. 

Oh ! his blood hath redeemed us from six ene- 
mies. 

First, From the world; Gal. xiv.; I£ev. xxi, 

Secondly, From the curse, Gal. in. 13. 
•Thirdly, From sin, Bora. vi. 18,-22. 

Fourthly, From the devil, Heb. ii. 18 ; Act* 
xxvi. 17, 18. 

Fifthly, From the sting of death, 1 Cor. xv. 26, 
26. 

Sixthly, From hell; 1 Thess. i. 10; Rev. ii. 12. 

Oh ! His blood is precious blood, his blood hath 
alain our enemies ; he bath purchased by his blcod 



. r FOLLOW XHK LAMB. 267 

reconciliation with the Father, union with the Son, 
communion with the Holy Ghost. Ye that were 
sometimes far off, are made nigh by the blood of 
Christ, Eph. ii. 13,-16. 

Secondly. They follow the Lamb, because they 
are washed in the blood of the Lamb ; He that 
loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own 
blood, Rev. i. 5. These are they that came out of 
great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and 
made them white in the blood of the Lamb, Rev. 
xvii. 4. The blood of Christ cleanseth us from all 
sin, 1 John i. 7. Christ's blood washeth away our 
\ bloody sins ; I said unto thee, when thou wast in 
thy blood, live, Ezek. x. 6. For as we were united 
with Christ, our sins are upon him, and his right- 
eousness upon us. It is Christ that gives us life, 
and puts excellent ornaments upon us, to cover our 
nakedness, and decketh us with jewels, and gems 
of gold, so we become beautiful in his sight, Isa. 
lx. 10. That he might present unto himself a glo- 
rious church, not having spot or wrinkle, nor any 
such thing ; but that it should be holy without blem- 
ish, Eph. v. 27. 

Thirdly. Believers follow the Lamb, because 
they are risen with the Lamb. If ye then be risen 
with Christ, seek those things which are above, 
where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God, Col. 
iii. 1. Therefore we are buried with him in bap- 
tism, unto death, that like as Christ was raised 
rom the dead, by the glory of the Father, even so 
we should also walk in newness of life, Rom., vi. 



268 FOLLOW THE LAMB. 

4. Every man, besides a believer, is a dead man 
in trespasses and sins, Eph. ii. 1. Therefore thejr 
are exhorted to rise from the dead, Eph. v*4. 
They must rise from evil to do good, from earthly 
mindedness to heavenly mindedness ; but naw, 
by faith, 'believers are risen from darkness ta light: 
For ye sometimes were darkness, but now ye are 
light in the Lord: walk as children of the light, 
Eph. v. 8. Arise, shine, for th}' light is come, 
and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee, Isar. 
Ix. 1. When the Lord shineth forth upon Ms peo- 
ple in glorious discoveries of himself, he calls them 
away from their former condition, when the Lord 
discovereth himselfin a gospel dispensation, his 
people were no longer to sit under dark clouds of- 
legal ceremonies, but to follow the Lamb whither- 
soever he goeth. 

Fourthly r , They follow the Lamb, because they 
are enlightened by the Lamb: God, who command- 
eth the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined 
in our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge 
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, 2 
Cor. iv. 6. But we all, with open face, behold- 
ing as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed 
into the same image, from glory to glory, even as 
by the Spirit of the Lord, 2 Cor. iii. 18. Yea, 
doubtless, and I count all things but loss, for the 
excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my 
Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things 
and count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 
Phil. iii. 8. Divine and heavenly knowledge 



FOLLOW TRt L/«I*. 269 

brings men near to God, it gives a man the clear- 
est and fullest light of God, and the nearer any 
man comes to God, the clearer vision we have of 
God, and the more communion with God. 

The reason why others do not follow the Lamb, 
is because they see not the worth and want of the 
Lamb; having their understanding darkened, being 
alienated from the light of God, through the igno- 
rance that is in them, because of the heardness of 
their hearts, Eph. iv. 18. 

Where there is a veil cast before the eyes of 
knowledge, there is a bar set before the hands of 
practice. An ignorant person neither knows what 
he is doing, nor does he know whether he is going: 
he doth nothing but undo himself by doing. Car- 
nal men see no preciousness, nor loveliness in 
Christ; Oh! What is thy beloved more than another 
beloved? Cant. v. 9. If thou knewest the gift of 
God, and who it is that asketh, thou wouldst have 
asked of him, and he would have given thee living 
water, John iv. 10. 

Christ goes undesired in the w r orld, because he 
goes undiscerned by the world: but the natural man 
receiveth not the Spirit of God, for they are foolish- 
ness unto him; neither can he know them, becausa 
they are spiritually discerned, 1 Cor. iv. 14. — 
But now believers being enlightenened by the Spirit 
of God, and by the word of God, they see them- 
selves what they were before faith, what they are 
by faith, and what they shall be at the end of faith: 
they see Christ to be all precious in his ordinances, 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 

precious in his discoveries, precious in his graces, 
precious in his gifts, precious in his promises, pre- 
cious in his members, precious in his ministers, 
and precious in himself, 1 Pet. ii. 8. Therefore 
believers cannot but love him, and follow him. 

Fifthly. They follow the Lamb, because they 
love the lamb : Grace be with all them that love 
the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, Eph. vi. 25. 
They love him with a superlative love. Whom 
have I in heaven but thee ? and there is none I de- 
sire besides thee, Psal. lxxiii. 25. The spouse of 
Christ looks upon what she is, as not great enough 
for his remembrance, and what she doth, as not 
good enough for his acceptance ; look not upon me, 
because I am black, because the sun hath • looked 
upon me, my mother's children were angry with me, 
they made me the keeper of vineyards, but mine 
own vineyard have I not kept, Cant. i. 6. 

The church is never more fair than when she 
judgeth herself to be the most deformed; never 
more happy, than when she reckons herself most 
miserable; never more holy, than when she ac- 
counts herself most polluted ; she is never richer, 
than when she seeth herself to be the poorest of all. 
The soul that loves much, is a soul that works much: 
the commands of the gospel are not grievous to him, 
but precious to him: tell me (O thou whom my 
soul loveth) where thou feedest? Cant. i. 1. A 
soul that loveth Christ, hath his eyes upon Christ, 
and his desire is after Christ; the desire of my 
soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. 



FOLLOW THE LAMB 2?I 

, t _ A 

With ray soul have I desired thee in the night, 
yea with my spirit will I seek thee early. 

True believers love Christ more than they love 
themselves: They loved not their lives unto the 
death, Rew xii. 11. Christ is dearer to them than 
their, lives; they slighted, condemned, yea, de-» 
spised their very lives, when they stood in compe- 
tition with Christ and his glory, and chose rather 
to suffer the greatest misery, than he should lose the 
least dram of his honor. The love of Christ hath 
made the saints and witnesses yield all the members 
of their bodies, to the cruel and merciless instru- 
ments of bloody persecutors, their backs to be 
whipped, their eyes to be bored, their tongues to be 
cut out of their mouths, Heb. xi. 36. Oh! liow 
strongly did these lov# ! The measure of loving 
Christ is to love him without measure : Who shall 
separate us from the love of Christ ? Tribulation 
shall not,, persecution shall not, famine and naked- 
ness shall not, peril and sword shall not : for I am 
persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor 
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor 
things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other 
creature," shall be able to separate us from the love 
of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, Rom. 
viii. 35, 38, 39. 

Sixthly. They follow the Lamb, becaues they 
are married to the 'amb; Jer. iii. 26. I am mar- 
ried unto you, Rev . **£. 9. I will show you the 
bride the Lamb's wife, Cant. ii. 16. My beloved 
is mine and I am his. Here I will show you two 



279 TOLLOW TM LAM!, 

things; 1. How Christ comes to be ours. 2. How 
we come to be Christ's. 

First. Christ is ours by free donation, and gift 
of the Father: God so loved the world, that he 
gave his only begotten Son, John iii. 16. 

Secondly. Christ freely gave himself unto us, 
so that Christ is ours by his own consent : he hath, 
as it were, passed over himself unto us : Christ 
loved me, and gave himself for me, saith the Apos- 
tle, Gal. ii, 20. 

Thirdly. Christ hath passed himself over unto 
his church by marriage, and therefore she is called 
his queen, his spouse, his bride and his wife, Psal. 
xiv. 9. Although we had nothing to bring to him, 
but poverty, shame, sorrow, and misery, yet he took 
us, loved us, and married us. 

Fourthly. Christ is ours, by communicating his 
own Spirit to us. 

2. The saints are Christ's four ways. 

First. By the donation of the Father; God hath 
made him both Lord and Christ, Acts, ii. 26. And 
hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to 
be head over all things to the church, Eph. i. 20. 
And now, saith Christ, Behold I and the <childrea 
whom thou gavest me ; thine they were, and thou 
gavest them me, John xii. 6. God the Father 
gave us to God the Son, that he might redeem us.; 
and God the Son did give us to God the Father, 
that he might sanctify us, and keep us from the evil 
of the world, verse 17* 

Secondly. 'We are Christ's by choice: I have 



FOLLOW THIS LAMB. 273 

chosen you out of the world, and the Lambs are 
said to be chosen in Christ, Eph. i. 4. And they 
are called a chosen generation, 1st Peter ii. And 
chosen, are faithful, Rev. xvii. 14. 

Thirdly, The saints are Christ's by purchase; 
we were in our enemies hands, under their power, 
and could not free ourselves from the bondage of 
the law, sin, satan, death and hell ; therefore, saith 
the apostle, We are bought with a price, 1 Cor. vi. 
20. For in respect of God's justice, we are bought 
by Christ 

Fourthly, We are Christ's by combination and 
covenant ; I entered into covenant with thee, and 
thou becamest mine, Ezek. xvi. 8. That is, I did 
make a solemn covenant of stipulation with thee, 
that I would take thee to be my people. So it is 
no wonder believers follow the Lamb whithersoever 
he goeth; they are married to him, he is their head 
and husband. 

Seventhly, They follow the Lamb, because they 
have the spirit of the Lamb; We have not the spir- 
it of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, 
that we may know the things that are of God, and 
we have the mind of Jesus Christ, 1 Cor. ii* 11, 
12, 16. And we know that he abides in us by the 
Spirit which he hath given us. Now if any man 
hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. — 
The Spirit that the Lord Jesus gives to believers, 
is a sealing spirit, a lively spirit, an enlightening 
spirit, a leading spirit; it leads frorri all evil to all 
good; and all the Lamb's followers ^re in the spir- 
it of the Lamb ; and therefore* they pray in the 



271 FOLLOW THE LAMB 

spirit, and with the spirit, and by the spirit, and for 
more of the spirit: they that have this spirit need 
not a book to pray by. Now all true believers have 
the spirit of the Lamb; therefore, they follow the 
Lamb whithersoever he goeth. 

Eighthly, Believers follow the Lamb because 
all their privileges come from the Lamb: They are 
all kings and priests, Rev. i. 6. — v. 10. And sons 
and heirs. 1 John iii. 1. Behold what manner of 
love the Father hath bestowed upon us. Romans 
viii. 27, And if children, then heirs; heirs of God 
and joint heirs with Christ. 

Though believers have not a crown of life, yet 
they are heirs to the crown in life: God puts the 
greatest honor upon his own people, Prov. xii. ,2(L 
All the honor that other men must have is not worth 
the having: that which makes a man great in the 
eyes of the world, makes a man nothing in the eyes 
of God: men are never the better of their great- 
ness, if they are not the better by their greatness. 
But now, believers greatness and honors come by 
Christ; the faithful and true witness, the first begot- 
ten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the 
earth. He hath made us unto our God kings and 
priests, and we shall reign on the earth, Rev. v. 10. 
All the light, life, hope, joy, peace, beauty, honor, 
and riches believers have, they have it all by Christ 
and from Christ: He gave them rich grace and 
rich glory, and all things richly to enjoy, 1 Tim. 
vi. 17. 

Take a man that is out of Christ, and he hath 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 276 

aone of all this, Eph. ii. 12. Then a* that time 
ye were without C Wrist, being aliens from the com- 
monwealth of Israel, and strangers from the cove- 
nants of promise, having no hope, and without 
God in the world, yea, he is wretched, and misera- 
ble, and poor, and blind, and naked, "Rev. iii. 17. 

O ! this is the condition of every graceless, faith- 
less, and Christless person. But now, a believer, 
though he be never so poor in the world's eye, he is 
rich in God's eye ; For all things are his, and he 
shall inherit all things : 1 Cor. iii. 22. Rev. xm. 

7. He that overcometh shall inherit all things. — - 
But how comes it to pass, that a believer hath so 
much, and all others so little? He hath it all from 
Christ ; Of his fulness have we all received, and 
grace for grace, John i. 16. Therefore believers 
do glory in Christ, because they have all their glory 
by and from Christ, 1 Ccr. i. 31. He hath enough 
to glory in that hath Christ to glory in. Now be- 
lievers cannot but cleave to him, and follow him, 
because all their good things come by him. 

Ninthly, They follow the Lamb, because their 
names are written in the Lamb's book; Rev. xiii. 

8. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship 
him, whose names are not written in the book of 
life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the 
world. And there shall in no wise enter into it 
any thing that defileth, neither whosoever worketh 
abomination, or maketh a lie ; but they which are 
written in the Lamb's book of life; Rev. xxi. 27. 
Ati the rest of the worshippers of the beast, and 



fltt FOLLOW f HI LAMB. 

all unbelievers shall be cast into the lake of fire 
which burns and flames for ever, Rev. xix. 10.— 
There be a great many that follow the beast, wor- 
ship the beast, receive the mark of the beast, and 
admire the beast, chap. xiii. 34. But what are 
they, are they many that have their names written 
in the Lamb's book of life ? No, no, for this see 
Rev. xvii. 9. The beast which thou sawest, was> 
and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottomless 
pit, and shall go into perdition; and they that dwell 
on the earth shall wonder, whose names are nor: 
written in the book of life. So that you see what 
that cursed crew are that follow Babylon, they are 
such whose names are not written in the book of 
life. But they that have their Father's name writ- 
ten in their forehead, and their names written in the 
Lamb's book, they follow the Lamb whithersoever 
he goeth : And they that are with him are called 
the chosen, and faithful, Rev. xvii. 14. 

Ttnthly and Lastly, Precious ones follow the 
Lamb, because they shall be forever with the Lamb. 
Then we which are alive and remain, shall be 
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet 
the Lord in the air and so shall we be ever with the 
Lord. Wherefore comfort ye one another with 
these words. 1 Thess. iv. 17, 18. Therefore they 
are before the throne of God, and serve him day 
and night in the temple : and he that sitteth on the 
fchrora shall dwell among them. They shall hun- 
ger no wore, neither thirst any more, neither shall 
the sun light on them, n&* ^v h*m . *— **~~ «.- 



FOLLOW TUB LAM1. 377 

which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, 
and shall lead them unto the fountains of living wa- 
ter, and God shall wipe away all tears from their 
eyes, Rev. vii. 15, 16, 17. How troublesome so- 
ever a saint's beginning is, his end is joyful. When 
believers change earth for heaven, they do not lose 

their happiness, but complete their happiness - 

Johnxvii.24; Father, I will, that they also whom 
thou gavest me, be with me where I am, that they 
may behold my glory which thou hast given me; for 
thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 
Not only with me for ever, but with my saints, my 
angels, and with my Father, and with all that are 
with me. 

To be with God and Christ forever, implieth 
these seven things. 1 . The presence of God. 2. 
The happy union with God. 3. The blessed vis* 
ion of God. 4. The glorious communion with 
God. 5. The fruition of God. 8. The rest that 
the saints shall have in God. 7, The enjoyments 
of themselves in God. 

O ! how unspeakable is the glory of heaven f — * 
O ! how infinitely glorious is the Lamb ! Now, 
true believers follow the Lamb whithersoever he 
goeth, because they shall be ever with the Lamh, 
in fulness of glory, and endless felicity, Rom. viii. 
17. Thus have I showed you why believers fol- 
low the Lamb. Now I shall show you the excel- 
lency of following the Lamb. 

The first excellency is, they that follow the Lamb 
have the presence of the Lamb with them. The 



278 FOLLOW THE LAMB. 

hundred forty and four thousand that stood upon 
mount Sion, had the Lamb with them ; Psal. xlvi. 
5. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be 
moved, God shall help her, and that right early ; 
the Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is 
our refuge, verse 8. God is in the midst of his 
church, not only to behold her, but uphold her: 
though the church's enemies may be waves to toss 
her, yet they shall never be rocks to split her ; be- 
cause God is in the midst of her. This is that 
which comforted and strengthened David. Yea, 
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of 
death, I will fear no evil : for thou art with me, 
Psalm xxiii. 4. When thou passest through the 
waters I will be with thee, and through the rivers, 
they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest 
through the fire, thoushalt not be burnt, neither shall 
the flames kindle upon thee, Isa. xliii. 2. Oh ! 
they that follow the the Lamb, shall stand for the 
Lamb, have the presence of the Lamb, his glorious 
presence, his gracious presence, his comforting pre- 
sence, his protecting presence, his quickening and 
sanctifying presence. 

The second excellency is, that they that follow 
the Lamb, shall know the mind of the Lamb : it is 
given unto you that know the mysteries of the king- 
dom of heaven, but to them it is not given. And 
blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, 
for they hear; Matt. xii. 11, 16. Henceforth I 
sail you not servants ; for the servant khoweth not 
what his lord doth : but I have called you friends; 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 279 

for all things that I have heard of ray Father, I 
have made known unto you, John xvii. 6, 7, 8. — 
Jesus Christ that lies in the bosom of the Father, 
he unbosoms and unbowels the heart of his Father 
to believers: they 'know kis secrets, his mind, his 
counsel, and his will, and none knoweth it but them. 
I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth 
because thou hast hid these things from the wise 
and prudent, and hast revealed them to babes; Mat- 
thew xi. 25. But they that walk with God, know 
much of the mind of God, and the mysteries of the 
gospel. 

The third excellency of following the Lamb, is, 
they that follow the Lamb, may come boldly to the 
Lamb: Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne 
of grace, that w r e may obtain mercy, and find grace 
to help in time of need, Heb. iv. 10. A soul that 
hath an interest in Christ, may come boldly to 
Christ, and speak boldly to him, and to his Father, 
for any mercy he needeth ; he may go to the throne 
of grace for grace, and open his heart to God as 
one friend to another. Oh ! what liberty have be- 
lievers ! Oh ! what a privilege have they, that they 
may go to God with a holy boldness ! the wicked 
proud ones of the earth are so high that the poor 
saints cannot come boldly and freely unto them; but 
they may come boldly, and freely unto the Lord 
cheir God, Matt. xi. 28. Come unto me all ye 
;hat labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. 

The fourth excellency is, that they that follow 
lie Lamb shall have all their wants supplied by the 



989 follow in* umb, 

Lamb, Phil, iv. 19. But my God shall supply all 
your needs, according to his riches in glory by Jesus 
Christ. They that follow the Lamb shall want no 
good thing: O fear the Lord ye his saints, for 
there is no want to them that fear him. The young 
lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek 
the Lord shall not want any good thing, Psal. 
xxx. 9, 10. The Lord is my shepherd and I shall 
not want, Psal. xxiii. 1. Delight thyself in the 
Lord, and he shall give thee the desire of thine 
heart; thou shalt have whatsoever thou desirest to 
have. They that have thechiefest good shall want 
no good. Whosoever shall drink of the water that 
I shall give him, shall never thirst; and he that 
cometh unto me shall never hunger, John. vi. 35 
Oh! who would not follow and believe in the Lambl 
O happy are they that love the Lamb! 

The fifth excellency is, they that follow the 
Lamb, shall share with the Lamb. 

First. In his divine nature; Whereby are given 
unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that 
by these you might be made partakers of the divine 
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the 
world through lust. 2 Pet. 1. 4. That is, of 
those divine qualities whereby we are made like 
unto God, in wisdom, righteousness and true holi- 
ness. John. iv. 24. 

Secondly , In this conquest, the poor saints share 
•vith Christ in all his noble and honorable con* 
quests, 1 Cor. xv. 55. Over all the world, death 
and hell, and over sufferings: in all those things 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 281 

we are more than conquerers through him that loved 
us, Rom. viii. 37. 

Thirdly. They share with Christ in his graces: 
Of his fulness have we all received, and grace for 
grace, John. i. 16. As a child receives member 
Tor member, as the paper from the press receives 
letter for letter, as the wax from the seal receives 
print ibr print, or as the glass from the image re- 
ceives face for face, so do believers receive from 
Christ grace for grace, that is, for every grace that 
is in the Lamb, there is the same grace in us in 
some measure. 

Fourthly. Believers share with Christ in his glo- 
rious titles, he is called a Son, so are they: a King, 
so are they: a Priest,, so are they: an Heir, so are 
they: Rom. viii. 16. Rev. v. 16. and 1. 5, 6. 

Fifthly. They share with Christ in his glory: 
I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again 
and receive you unto myself, that where I am, 
there you may be also, John. xvi. 3. And the 
glory which thon gavest me, I have given them; 
that they may be one even as we are one, John, 
xvii. 23. My sheep hear my voice, and they 
follow me, and I give them eterual life, chap. x. 
27, 28. 

The saints shall have the same glory which Christ 
himself hath: the saints in heaven are not only glo- 
rified with Christ (which is the greatest exaltation) 
but they do enjoy the same glory which Christ him- 
self doth, the same for kind, though not for degree. 
The head and members are glorified together with 



283 FOLLOW THE LAMB. 

the same kind of glory. God hath not one heaven 
for his Son, and another for his saints; but one, 
and the same for both. Believers shall be as truh* 
glorious as Christ is, eternally glorious as he is. — 
Our vile bodies shall be fashioned like unto his 
glorious body; and we shall be glorified together 
with him, and appear with him in glory, Rom. viii, 
Col. iii. Oh! here is the excellency of following 
the Lamb, they that follow him shall share with 
him. 

The sixth excellency of following the Lamb, is, 
they that follow the Lamb, shall be protected by 
the Lamb. He suffered no man to do them wrong; 
yea, he reproveth kings for their sakes; Saying, 
Touch not mine annointed, and do my prophets no 
harm, Psal. cv. 14, 15, which are his saints. Who 
is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that 
which is good? And if ye suffer for righteousness* 
sake, happy are ye, and be not afraid of their terror 
neither be troubled, 1 Pet. iii. 13, 14. Fear thou 
not, for I am with thee, be not dismayed, for I am 
thy God: yea, I will strengthen thee, yea, I will 
help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right 
hand of my righteousness, Isa. xli. 40. Can a 
woman forget her sucking child, that she should 
rc>t have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, 
they may forget, yet I will not forget thee, Isa. 
xlix. 15. Who can harm a man if God be with 
him and for him? He that hath the love of God, 
ne*d not care for the anger of men. A true belie- 
ver hath the love of God, the love of Christ, the 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 288 

love of good angels, the love of good men, and the 
love of all whose love is worth having. God 
protects men in his way, but none out of his way; 
when men appear for God, God appears for men: 
he is good to them in affliction, and he doth good 
to them by affliction. 

The seventh excellency is, they that follow the 
Lamb, shall not feel the wrath of the Lamb, Rev. 
ii. 11. He that overcometh, shall not be hurt of the 
second death, Thess. i. 10. And to wait for his 
Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, 
even Jesus who delivered us from the wrath to come. 
There is therefore now no condemnation to them that 
are in Christ Jesus, w r ho walk not after the flesh, but 
after the spirit, Rom. viii. 1. O how sad is the con- 
dition of those who live and die without Christ ! They 
are sent to hell. Psal. ix. 17. The wicked shall 
qe turned into hell, and all the nations that forget 
God. Who shall be punished with everlastiug pe- 
struction, from the presence of the Lord, and the 
glory of his power, 2 Thess. i 9. They shall feel 
and suffer the wrath of the Lamb (because they de- 
spised the truth of the Lamb.) Because I have 
called, and ye have refused, 1 have stretched out my 
hand, and no man regarded ; but ye have set at 
nought all my counsel, and would none of my re- 
proof : I will also laugh at your calamity and mock 
when your fear cometh ; when your fear cometh as 
desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirl- 
wind : when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 
Then shall thev call upou me, but I will not answer; 



284 FOLLOW THE LAMB. 

they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me, 
Pro. i. 14 — 29. Do you hear this, sinners, and 
die in your sins? Be sure hell will shew you no 
mercy. Now the believer will feel and suffer none 
of this, he is in ahappy state and condition. 

The eighth excellency is, they that follow the 
Lambshall reign with the Lamb; and this is another 
excellency of following the Lamb. True believers 
do now reign over the creatures, over the pomp and 
pride of the world; over all spirits, over sin, over 
the sconscience of wicked men, and over sufferings ; 
but besides all this, they shall reign with Christ, 
find over those that now* reign over them, Rev. v. 10, 
And we shall reign on the earth, chap. xx. 4. And 
they fived and reigned with Christ a thousand 
years. And as the wicked tread down the saints 
under their feet now, so shall the saints then tread 
down the wicked under their feet, Mai. iv. 3. The 
Lord hath promised that the meek shall inherit the 
earth. Do not the scriptures say, that in the last 
days, the mountain of the lord's house shall be lifted 
up above the hills, and shall be established in the 
top of the mountains ! Isa. ii. 2. And that the king- 
doms of the world must become the kingdoms of 
our Lord Jesus Christ? Rev. xi. 15. And he that 
loves to see the face of his church beautiful, will 
ere long wipe away the bloody tears. It is not long 
before you will triumph and say, Cant. ii. 11. 12. 
Lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone: 
the flowers appear on earte, the time of the singing 
of birds is come. 



FOLLOW TMK LAMB. 285 

The ninth excellency is, they that follow the 
Lamb shall sit upon the throne with the Lamb ; 
Rev. iii. 21. To him that overcometh will I grant 
to sit with me on my throne, even as I alsc over- 
came, and am set down with my father on his throne. 
Ye arlso shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the 
twelve tribes of Israel, Mat. xix. 28. Oh ! what 
an honor is this, what a glory is this, to sit upon 
the tyrone with Christ ? Is it not honor and glory 
enough for us to be in heaven with God and Christ, 
and angels, but we must sit upon a throne there ? 
O what an honor is this ! And yet this honor shall 
all the Lamb's follwers have. 

The tenth excellency of following the Lamb is, 
they that follow the Lamb shall judge the w r orld 
with the Lamb. If thou consult the sacred records, 
you will find that both God and Christ, and the* 
saints are to judge the world. The ordination is 
God's, the execution is Christ's the approbation is 
the saints. When the apostle would stop the sinful 
suit among the Corinthian brethren, that did not 
want men of eminency to put a period unto contro-< 
versies, saith, Do you not know that the saints 
shall judge the world ? and if the world shall be 
judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the small- 
est matters? 1 Cor. vi. 1. Enoch the seventh from 
Adam prophesied, saying, Behold the Lord cometh 
with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment 
upon all, Jude 14. 15. verses. When the Son ot 
man shall sit upon the throne of his glory, ye also 
ahull sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve 



286 FOLLOW THE LAMS. 

tribes of. Israel, Matth. xix. 28. Now the worto 
judges the saints, but then the saints shall judge the 
world ; now they judge and condemn Christ and his 
members, but then they shall be judged and con- 
demned by Christ and his members. For as the 
world cannot endure God himself, so neither can 
they endure God in the saints ; and the more God 
dwells in the saints, the more the world afflict the 
saints; but they that follow the Lamb whitherso- 
ever he goeth, shall then sit upon those that now 
sit upon them. Thus I have showed you the ex- 
cellencies of following the Lamb. 

Fourthly, The misery of those that follow not the 
Lamb but the beast : O their misery is great in this 
life, but it will be greater in the other. 

The first misery of them that follow the beast, is, 
they that follow him shall share with him in all his 
plagues : and the third angal followed them saying 
with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast, 
and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, 
or in his hand ; the same shall drink of the wine of 
the wrath of God, which is poured out without mix- 
ture into the cup of his indignation ; and he shall be 
tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence 
of the Lamb, Eev. xiv, 9.10. O, the plagues, the 
terrible plagues that shall fall upon the beast! 
Death, and mourning, and famine, and fire, chap, 
xviii. 8. The judgment shall come upon all par- 
ties, and upon all degrees and conditions of men 
that join with the beast : all those that do partake 
of his sins, shall share of his plagues. 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 287 

There is, first, A vial poured out upon the 
earth ; that is, upon the common people, chap, 
xvi. vers. 2. 

Secondly, Another vial upon the sea, that is, 
the jurisdiction of Rome, ver. 3 

Thirdly, Another vial upon the rivers, that is 
their ministers, ver. 4. 

Fourthly, Another vial is poured out upon the 
eun, that is princes and magistrates, ver. 8. 

Fifthly, Another vial upon the seat, that is, 
Rome itself, the throne of the beast, ver. 10. So 
that all that worship the beast, receive his mark, 
and belong to him, whether they be high or low, 
rich or poor, if they do not come off from him, they 
shall share with him in all his plagues. Come out 
of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her 
sins, and that ye receive not v of her plagues, Rev. 
xviii. 4. 

The second misery of them that follow the beast, 
is, they shall cry to the rocks, and to the mountains 
of the earth: And the great men, and the rich men 
and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and 
every bond man, and every free-man, hid themselves 
in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains; and 
said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, hide us 
from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and 
from the wrath of the Lamb : for the great day of 
his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand ? 
Rev. vi. 15, 16, 17. 

The wicked, though here clothed in silk and vel- 
vet, shall wish for the mountains to cover them, 



38$ FOLLOW THE LAMB. 

which would be but a poor shelter ; for the moun- 
tains melt at the presence of the Lord, and the rocks 
rent asunder, when he is angry. They that made 
others flee sway from them, as innocent Lambs from 
devouring wolves, shall be afraid of the wrath of the 
Lamb, that sitteth on the throne. Oh ! how will 
those great men dare to appear before his tribunal 
that have stained the sword of authority with the 
blood of innocency by turning its back against the 
vidotrs, and whiting its edge against the righteous: 
many an unjust judge, that now sits confidently upon 
the bench, shall then stand trembling at the bar. Oh! 
how will tfcey be able to lift up their heads before 
Christ, who have lifted up their hands against 
Christ ? The kings of the earth stood up, and the 
rulers were gathered together against the Lord, 
and against his Christ, Acts iv. 26, Rev. xvii. 14. 
Instead of helping the Lord against the mighty, they 
helped the mighty against the Lord, Psal. ii. 2. Oh! 
how many great men are there that make no other 
use of their greatness, but to be great in their wick- 
edness ; great swearers, great drunkards, great Sab- 
bath breakers, great persecutors, great adulterers, 
great atheists, who instead of denying or forsaking* 
the devil and all his works, follow the devil and 
all his works ; who sin with content, and are not 
content with their sins. The princes are rebellious, 
and companions of thieves, Isa i. 2. But the great 
God, against whom the sin is committed, is greater 
than the greatest. Before whom all nations of tha 
world a*e but as the drop of a bucket, and as the 



FOLLOW THE LA3KB. 

small dust of the balance, Isa. xl. 15. Who will 
not fear thee, O King of nations? Forasmuch as 
there is none like unto thee, O Lord, thou art great, 
and thy name is great, and thy power is great, Jer. 
x. 6, 7. He toucheth the mountains, and they 
smoke. Before whom the devils fear and tremble. 
Therefore, wo, wo be to them that forsake him-, and 
follow the beast, they shall cry and call for help, 
but there will be none to help them* 

The third misery of those that follow the beast, is, 
they shall be cast into a lake of fire with the beast. 
And the hc?st was taken, and with him the false 
prophets that wrought miracles before him, with 
which he deceived them that had received the mark 
of the beast, and them that worshipped his image, 
these both were cast alive into the lake of fire 
burning with brimstone, Rev. xix. 29. The 
Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his 
mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on 
the«m that know not God, and obey not the gospel of 
our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with 
everlasting destruction, from the presence of the 
Lord, and from the glory of his power, 2 Thess. i. 6, 
8, 9. O what a dreadful thing is it to lie under the 
wrath of God, to lie in burning flames, and for ever 
to be banished from the presence of God, and his 
holy angels ! This will be the portion of the beast's 
followers. O will they not wish they had never 
been born, and that they might be turned into stocks 
and stones? But alas ! their wishes will do them 
no good: Christ will say to them, Depart, ye cursed, 
O 



260 FALLOW fHB LAMff. 

into everlasting fire, prepare for the devil and his 
angels, Matth. xxv. 41. O ye rulers and great ones 
of the earth ! it will be no dishonor to your hon- 
ors to lay your honor at his feet ; in whose pres- 
encelhe angels veil their faces, and before whose 
throne the elders cast their crowns, Isa. vi. 2. Rev. 
iv. 10. O! It is better patiently to suffer with Sion 
and thei churches party for a while, than join with 
the Romish party, and be ruined with them at the 
end* Rev* xiv. 12. Here is the patience of the 
saints. Ye shall suffer a while, and be trodden down 
by them and you must stay for a full accomplishment 
of his promise for your deliverance : but I will 
surely come, and I will recompense all your patience* 
And therefore, be not discouraged, and faint in your 
minds : let not your hearts turn back into Egypt, 
and hanker after Rome, those remnants, of Baal 
which God will surely destroy. 

Fifthly, I will show you how the Lamb's fol- 
lowers may be known by the beast's followers. 

First, You may know them by there numbers, 
they are in number the fewest: Many are called, 
but few are chosen. Matth. xx, 19. Though all 
Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet but a remnant 
shall be saved, Rom. ix. 27. And Christ calls his 
flock, Luke xii. 22. And truly, and beloved, they 
are but a few that follow the Lamb and believe 
in him. The Heathen followed the devil, the 
Turks follow Mahomet, the Jews follow Moses,the 
Papists follow the Pope, and loose Protestants and 
carnal professors follow the world, the flesh and 



FOLLOW THE LAWS. £91 

devil, and the false teacher, false doctrine and 
false worship; and all the world wonders at the beast, 
Rev. xiii. 3. The waters which thou sawest where 
the whore sitteth, are peoples and multitudes, and 
nations, and tongues, c\hap. xvii. 15. Relievers, 
though their nature is the sweetest, yet their number 
is the smallest. In heaven are the best, but in hell 
are the most. O dear Christians, there are but few 
upright Christians ; there are many thorns but few 
lillies ; many almost, but few, altogether Christians. 

Secondly. By their characters you may know 
them : You have nine lovely characters of them in 
this 14th chap. First, they stand with the Lamb 
upon Mount Zion. Secondly, They have their 
Father's name written in their foreheads. Thirdly, 
They sing a new song which none can learn but 
only the hundred and forty and four thousand. 
Fourthly, They are such as are redeemed from the 
earth. Fifthly, They are virgin saints, not defiled 
with women, Sixthly, They follow theLamb whith- 
ersoever he goeth. Seventhly, They are redeemed 
from among men. Eighthly, They bring the first 
fruits unto God and to the Lamb. Ninthly, And 
in their mouth was found no guile ; for they are 
without fault before the throne of God. Oh ! how 
holy, how heavenly, how gracious how glorious, 
how lovely and spiritual are these ! They live in 
the Lord, on the Lord, to the Lord, and with the 
\ord : they are a chosen generations royal priesthood 

i holy nation, a peculiar people, 1 Pet, ii. 6. 
, Thirdly, By their spirits,they have another spir^ 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 

Num. iv. 24. All the Lamb's followers are in the 
spirit of the Lamb, Rom. viii. 9, 16. And by the 
Spirit they are led and taught; a spirit of holiness 
a spirit of meekness, a spirit of love, a free spirit* 
and a true, humble and faithful spirit, to and for the 
Lord. Now as the Lamb's followers are in the 
Spirit of the Lamb, so the beast's followers are in 
the spirit of the beast, which is no other than the 
spirit of the devil, Eph. ii. 2. According to the 
prince of the power of the air, (the spirit that now 
worketh in the children of disobedience) a spirit of 
lording and domineering, a spirit of cunning and 
craftiness, a spirit of deceit, a spirit of superstition, 
a spirit of persecution and cruelty; and in this spirit 
are all the followers of the beast. Now by this 
you may know the Lamb's followers from the beast's 
followers. 

Fourthly. By their name; They have another 
name, a new name, Rev. ii. 12. God gives his 
people honorable titles, though the beast gives them 
reproachful titles, God calls them the dearly beloved 
of his soul, Jer. xxi. 7, and the apple of his eye, 
Zech. ii. 8. and his jewel, Mai. iii. 17, his glory, 
his portion, his bride, his friend and children; but 
the beast calls them seditious, heretics, deceivers, 
deluders, blasphemers, fools and madmen as if they 
were not worthy to have a being among men. But 
though they be ravens in the world's eye yet they are 
doves in God's eye : yea, they are such worthies 
of whom the world are not worthy, Heb. xi. 38. 
Now dear christians, by this you may know the 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 393 

Lamb's followers from others, by the nick-names th© 
world giveth them, and by the glorious name that 
God giveth them. 

Fifthly, By their graces they may be known : 
Such as are the Lamb's followers are full of faith, 
love, grace and godliness. They are very fruitful, 
*nd bring forth much fruit, John xv. 5. They are 
called heaven, because of their heavenliness, Rom. 
viii. 1. And holy, because of their holinoss? 
spiritual because of their spiritualness, and faithful' 
because of their faithfulness. Their is much of 
God to be seen in them, in their words, works, duties; 
and conversations, Philip, iii. 20. For our conver- 
sation is in heaven. They seek heavenly things, 
and walk by an heavenly rule ; they eye heavenly 
objects, and are led by an heavenly spirit ; they sub- 
mit to a heavenly government, and imitate heaven- 
ly ones. There is much heaven in them, and much 
of them in heaven. When I awake I am still with 
thee, saith David 

But now the beast's followers, they are full too ; 
but it is with blood, swearing, cursing, stealing, ly- 
ing, blasphemy, rebellion, and all manner of abom- 
inations and filthiness, Hos. iv. 2 ; Rom. iii ; Rev. 
iii. 3. Now beloved, by this you may know 
Christ's precious ones from the beast's filthy ones. 

Sixthly, The Lamb's followers may be known 
from the beast's by their keeping the command- 
ments of God, and faith of Jesus Christ. Rev. xiv. 
12. Here is the patience of the saints; here are 
Hiey that keep the commandments of God, and the 



294 FOLLOW THE LAMD. 

faith of Jesus. See Rev. xii. 17. The dragon 
was wroth with the woman, and made war with the 
remnant of her seed, which keep the command- 
ments of God, having the testimony of Jesus Christ. 
True believers cleave to the Lord, and follow him 
fully: But my servant Caleb hath followed me 
fully, Numb. iv. 23. And Enoch walked with 
God, Gen. v. 24. And Noah walked with God, 
Gen. vi. 9. Let us walk in the Spirit, Rom. v. 25 
And they follow the Lamb, whithersoever he goeth, 
they hear his voice, they profess his worship, and 
obey his doctrine ; they abhor antichrist, they fol- 
low not the beast, nor receive his mark; but keep 
the beautiful garments of gospel-innocency, and 
will not touch beastly Babylon. 

Seventhly. By their company: The Lamb's fol- 
lowers keep company together : Being let go, they 
went to their own company, Acts iv. 23. So they 
are said to stand upon a sea of glass together. — 
And I saw, as it were, a sea of glass mingled with 
fire, and them that had gotten the victory over the 
beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and 
over the number of his name, stood on the sea of 
glass, having the harps of God, Rev. xv. 2. So 
they that are with the Lamb upon mount Zion are 
together, keep together, and follow the Lamb to- 
gether. Christ's faithful witnesses dp not hear 
with antichrist's hearers, nor worship with them 
which worship the beast, for they are come out of 
Babylon, chap. xvii. 4. Come out of her my peo- 
ple, that ye be not partakers of her sin, that ye re- 
ceive not of her plagues. Where for- co;ne out 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. U98 

from among them, and be ye separate, and touch 
not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, saith 
the Lord, 2 Cor. vi. 17. The children of God 
will not keep company with the children of wrath, 
for they cannot agree: For what fellowship hath 
righteousness with unrighteousness? and what 
communion hath light with darkness; And what 
concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part 
hath he that belie veth with an infidel ? And what 
agreement hath the temple of God with idols? 
2 Cor. vi. 14, 16. Therefore believers, keep to- 
gether, walk together, and worship God together. 
And they that believed, were of one heart, a©d of 
one soul, and continued in the Apostles doctrine 
and fellowship, Acts. iv. 32 ; and ii. 12. By tin* 
the Lamb's followers are known, to wit, by their 
company. 

Eighthly. By their language they are known. 
True believers speak the language of Canaan, their 
language is scripture language ; you may know 
them by their speech as Peter was known by his 
speech, Surely thou art one of them, for thy speech 
bewrayeth thee, Mat. xxvi. 75. Their words are 
holy and heavenly, they speak of God, to God, for 
God, and he heareth them, Mai. iii. 15. But the 
beast's followers speak wickedly, proudly, daringly, 
and blasphemously. Chap. xiii. 4. And he 
opened his mouth, blaspheming God, his Son, his 
name, his saints, and they that dwell in heaven, 
ver. 6. Men are known who, and what they are, 
and to whom they belong, by their language ; if 



FOLLOW THE LAME 

they are of God and in God, they cannot but speak 
much of God. 

* Ninthly, The Lamb's followers are known by 
this they are more afflicted with the church's 
heaviness, than they are affected with their own 
happiness- The king said, Why is thy counte- 
nance sad? this is nothing else but sorrow of 
heart, seeing thou art not sick. Why should not 
my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of 
my father's sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates 
thereof consumed with fire? Neh. ii* 2, 3. How 
can Sion's son's, be rejoicing, when their mother is 
mourning? though they were the Jews' desolation, 
yet they were Jeremiah's lamentation : How can 
such rejoice m her standing, that do not mourn for 
her falling ? When the church's adversaries make 
long furrows upon her back, we should cast in the 
seed of tears. Remember them that are in bonds, 
as being; bound with them, and them which suffer 
adversity, as being ourselves likewise in the body, 
Heb. xiii. 3. Sympathising with others, makes an 
estate that is joyful more happy, and an estate that 
less doleful, hearty* 

The righteous perish, and no man layeth it to 
heart, Isa Mi. SL We may draw up that charge 
against many now, Amos vL 4. They lie upon 
beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon couches, 
and eat the lambs out of the flock, and calves out of 
the midst of the stall, ver. 6. That drink wine in 
bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief oint- 
ment : But they are not grieved for the affliction 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 207 

of Joseph. Oh ! that there were not too many such 
now a days, that eat the fat, and drink the sweet, 
and are not troubled for Sioirs troubles : instead of 
sympathising with them in their misery, they are 
censuring them for their misery. But the true ser- 
vants of God are tender and broken-hearted ; they 
weep, mourn, and wring their hands for Sions sins, 
for Sion's breaches, for Sion's calamities, for Si- 
on's grievances. Thus they do, and will do, till 
they set Sion on mount Sion to be with the Lamb. 
Tenthly. The Lamb's followers are known by 
their love to Christ, and suffering for Christ : they 
choose the worst of sorrows, before they will com- 
mit the least of sins. For thy sake we are killed aU 
the day long, and counted as sheep for the slaught- 
er, Psal. xliv. Eom. viii. 39. And ye shall be 
hated of all men for my name's sake, Mat. x. 22. 
Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and per- 
secute you, and shall say all manner of evil against 
you falsely for my ^ake, Mat. v. 11. Love can 
walk on the water without drowning, and lie in the 
fire without burning. How shall we land at the 
haven of rest, if we are not tossed upon the sea of 
trouble? A believer should live above the love of life, 
and the fear of death. Though we cannot live with- 
out afflictions, yet let us live above afflictions: none 
are so welcome to that spiritual Canan as those that 
swim to it through the red sea of their own blood ; 
in suffering the offence is done to us; in sinning, 
the offence is done to God ; in suffering, we lose the 
favor of men, in sinning we lose the favor of God ; 



298 FOLLOW T»B LAMB. 

therefore Daniel chose the* den of lions rather than 
he would forsake the cause of the Lamb, Dan. vi. 6. 
And the three children chose rather to suffer sadly, 
than to sin foully, Dan. iii. And Moses chose 
rather to suffer afflictions with the people of God 
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, 
Heb. xi. 25. It is better to be a martyr than a 
monarch ; it is better to be a prisoner for Jesus 
Christ, than to be a prince without Christ, or against 
Christ. 

O how precious, how glorious, how lovely, and 
how sweet is Jesus Christ to believers! O they love 
him entirely, uprightly, they love his glorious person 
and the beauty of his holiness, and his name, his 
honor, his cause, and his members, they will suffer 
for him, and die for him, because he suffered and 
died for them, Rev. xxi. 11. And they loved not 
their lives unto the death. Now by this all men 
may know the Lamb's followers from the beast's 
followers, viz. by their sorrows, and suffering for 
Christ, for truth, for righteousness and for con 
science sake, xx. 34. And they took joyfully the 
spoilingof their goods, xi. 35. 

Eleventhly, the Lamb's followers are known by 
this, they seek the public good of others above the 
private good of themselves. I have great heaviness 
and continual sorrowing in my heart ; for I could 
wish myself were accursed from Christ,for my breth- 
ren, my kinsman according to the flesh, Rom. ix. 2. 3. 
And now, O Father, Glorify thy Son, that thy Son 
may glorify thee, John xvii. He prayed for glory 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 299 

more for the father's sake that bestowed it, than 
for his own sake that received it. A true Christian 
doeth not desire grace only for this end, that God 
may glorify him ; but he desires grace for this end, 
that he may glorify God : For ye know the grace 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, 
yet, for our sakes he became poor, that ye through 
his poverty might become rich, 2 Cor. viii. 9. 
Oh ! that the Lord Jesus should not only in pity save 
•is but in love die for us. And David, after he had 
served his own generation, by the will of God, fell 
asleep, Actsxiii. 30. His generation did not serve 
him, but he served his generation ; not the gene- 
ration that was before him, for they were dead be- 
fore he was living: not the generation that was be- 
hind him, for they were living 1 after he was dead ; 
but his own generation ; and not by his own will, 
but by the will of God. Old Eli mourned more for 
the loss of his religion, than for the loss of his re- 
lations, 1 Sam. iv. 18. So Moses, Exod, xx. 10. 
Now therefore let me alone that rny wrath my wax 
hot against them, and that I may consume them : 
and I will make of thee a great nation. He was no 
self-seeker, but a life-preserver. Grace doth not 
only make a man carry it like a man to God, but to 
carry it like a God to man ; reason makes a man a 
man, but grace makes a man a christian* Every 
gracious spirit is public, though every public spirit 
is not gracious. 

As we are not born by ourselves, so we are not 
born for ourselves, but the beast's followers, and 



300 FOLLOW THE LAMB* 

Babylon's merchants are for themselves, and seek 
themselves ; Yea they are greedy dogs which can 
never have enough ; and they are shepherds, which 
cannot understand; They all look to their own 
way, every one for his gain from his quarter, Isa 
Ivi. 11. Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees ; for 
ye devour widows houses, and for a pretence make 
long prayers ; therefore ye shall receive the greater 
damnation, Mat. xxiii. 14. These make not gain 
stoop to godlines, but godliness stoop to gain. 

Twelfthly, and lastly, The Lamb's followers 
may be known from the beast's followers by this, 
they are more for the power than form, for hear* 
than art, for matter than method, for substance than 
show ; having a form of godliness, but denying the 
power thereof, from such turn aside, 2 Tim. iii. 5. 
As they who have the power of godliness cannot 
deny the form, so they who have the form of god- 
liness should not deny the power. Alas ! what is 
hearing without doing, and praying without prac* 
tising, and teaching without reforming ? God loves 
to see the plants of righteousness : he beareth great- 
er respect to our hearts than he doeth to our works. 
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies 
of God, that you present your bodies a living 
sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, Rom. 
xii. 1. 

The formalist is all outward actions, and for 
nothing of inward sincerity : he is for a body with- 
out a soul, and a show without a substance ; but it 
is not a show of inward piety, that excuses inward 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 301 

hypocrisy : For he is not a Jew, that is outward- 
ly, neither is that circumcision which is outward 
in the flesh. But he is a Jew which is one inward 
ly and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, 
and not the letter, whose praise is not of men, but 
of, God Rom. ii. 28, 29. I know the blasphemy of 
them who say they are Jews, and are not, but are 
the synagogues of Satan, Rev. ii. 6. They aie 
better in their outside than they are in their inside; 
but believers are better in their insides than they 
are in their outsides : The King's daughter is all 
glorious within, her clothing is of wrought gold, 
Psal. xlv. 13. The one bows but his knee at the 
name of Jesus, the other bows his heart to the truth 
of Jesus : the one only signs with the cross, the 
other carries the cross. O what would not hyp- 
pocritical men do for heaven, if they might have 
heaven for their so doing ? But they that fall in 
this rotton bottom, will surely sink in the ocean. 
Who hath required this at your hands, to tread my 
courts ? To what purpose is your sacrifices unto 
m$, saith the Lord ? I am full of burnt offerings 
of rams, and the fat of fed beast's, and I delight not 
in the blood of bullocks, nor of lambs, nor of he 
goats. It was not the clay and the spittle that cured 
the blind man, but Christ anointing his eyes. It 
was not the troubling of the waters in the pool of 
Bethesda that made them whole, but the coming 
down of the angel. Alas ! the dish without the 
meat will not feed us. Men may spread the net 
of duty, but it is God must take the draught of 



302 FOLLOW THE LAMB. 

mercy. Now by this beloved, ye may know the 
Lamb's followers from the beast's followers. 

And thus I have briefly and clearly showed you 
these five things. 

First, What the following the Lamb is. 

Secondly , Why gracious souls follow the Lamb 
whithersoever he goeth. 

Thirdly, The excellency of following the Lamb. 

Fourthly, The misery of following the beast. 

Fifthly, How the Lamb's followers may be 
known from the beast's followers. 

I shall make some use of this. 

First, For self-examination and trial; O friends 
for the Lord's sake, and for your soul's sake,exam- 
ine yourselves, try yourselves by this, that you may 
know whose you are, and to whom you belong: 
Know ye not to whom ye yield yourselves servants 
to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, 
whether of sin unto death, or obedience unto righ- 
teousness, Rom.vi. 16. 

O ! Whom do ye follow ? If men, verily you 
have your reward ; if sin, you shall have your sins 
wages, which is eternal death ; wo and misery in 
this life, and hell and destruction in the other life ; 
but if God, then you shall have eternal life. There- 
fore be not deceived, mistake not yourselves, God 
is not mocked; for whatsoever a man sows, that 
shall he reap. . O ! beloved examine yourselves, 
and try yourselves what it is you mind, what it is 
you seek, what it is you do ; do you follow the 
Lamb in his commandments, in his teaching in his 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 303 

appointments, in his examples and tnrough suffer- 
ing and reproaches ? Have you forsaken all and 
followed him ? Mat. xix. 29. Have you taken 
up his cross, and denied yourselves ? Matt. xiv. 24. 
Have you learned of me to be meek and lowly ? 
Matt. xi. 29. Have you visited and clothed his 
members? Matt. xxv. 35; Have you kissed the 
Son, and made your peace with him ? O beloved, 
are ycu new creatures ? Are you in Christ ? are 
you in faith ? know ye not if Christ be not in you 
ye are reprobates? 2 Cor. xiii. 5. 

The second use is exhortation. 

O beloved, let me beseech you for your precious 
and immortal soul's sake, to come out of Babylon 
from^he beast's image, from his worship and from 
his mark, that you may not be defiled. O ! come 
aw r ay to Jesus Christ ; Arise, my love, and co-me 
away, Cant. ii. 19. Come unto me all ye that la- 
bor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, 
Matt. xi. 28. O ! sinners, he calls you to come to 
him ; Will yon not go ? We must forsake sin and 
embrace viutue ; put off the old man, and put on the 
new man ; we must have repentance and mortifica- 
tion, a dying unto sin, a living unto righteousness ; 
from the love of earthly things, to the desire of 
heavenly things. Our bodies and our souls must 
come away unto Christ; our souls, because they 
are the spouse of Christ ; our bodies, because they 
are the temples of the Holy Ghost. We must 
come away from the enticements of the flesh, the 
allurements of the world, suggestions of the devil, 



304 .FOLLOW THE LAMB. 

the whore of Babylon, and all the inventions and 
traditions of men, Rev. xviii. 4. That ye may walk 
with God, before God, after God, in the name of 
God, and in the Spirit of God ; and that we may 
live in Christ, as Christ lives in the Father. O 
what, more happy, than to live for ever, and so to 
live for ever as Christ himself liveth ! Surely this 
is a blessed and glorious life. This is a believer's 
life. 

Secondly, Labor more and more to be like those 
that follow the Lamb fully, they are very holy and 
pure, — they are called virgins. 

First, For their chastity : That I present you as 
chaste virgins unto Christ. 2 Cor. xi. 2. These 
love Christ with a chaste, but not with an adulter- 
ous love. 

Secondly, For their purity : they are virgin 
saints, they are not defiled with the whore of Bab- 
ylon, but have kept themselves from her idolatry 
and superstition, from her sin and wickedness, and 
in their mouth was found no guile. 

Believers are styled and tituled heaven : Christ's 
members are glorious members. They are called 
heaven for two reasons. 

First j Because there is much of heaven in them* 

Secondly, Because there is much of them in 
heaven. 

First, There is much of heaven in believers* 
much of God, much of Christ, and much of the 
Spirit : Of his fulness have we all received, and 
grace for grace, John i. 16. The glory of God 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 305 

the knowledge of God, the presence of God, the 
love of God, the holiness of God, the joys of God, 
these are the things that make heaven to be heaven. 
Now there is much of these in believers, therefore 
they are called heaven. , We are taken into com- 
munion with angels ; and our communion with an- 
gels, in a great measure, doth consist in bearing 
part with them in praising God ; it is the action of 
heaven ; believers are holy ones, and they have 
glorious titles. 

First. The Lord's portion, Deut. xxxii. 9. 

Secondly, His pleasant portion, Jer. xii. 10. 

Thirdly, His inheritance, Isa. xix. 25. 

Fourthly, The dearly beloved of his soul, Jer. 
xii. 7- 

Fifthly, God's treasure, and peculiar treasure, 
Exod. xix. 5. 

Sixthly, his glory, Isa. xlvi. 13. 

Seventhly, The house of God's glory, Exod. ix 7. 

Eighthly, A crown of glory, Isa. lxiii. 3. 

Ninthly, A royal diadem, in the same place. 

Tenthly, The glory of God, Jer. iii. 17. 

Eleventhly, Golden candlesticks, Rev, i. 12. 

Twelfthly, Kings, Rev. v. 10, and in my text f 
Heaven. 

There is as much difference betw'een the church 
of God and other men as there is between gold and 
dirt, as betwixt diamonds and bubbles, in the Lord's 
esteem; they are to God above all people; The 
righteous is more excellent than his neighbor, Prov. 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 

xii. 26. O! how precious, how happy, now bles- 
sed and glorious are believers ! They are called 
Heaven. 

Secondly ', Believers are called heaven, because 
there is much of them in heaven. 

First, Their thoughts are in heaven, Psalm 
cxxxix. 79. 

Secondly, Their desires are in heaven. Psalm 
lxxiii. 25. 

Thirdly, Their affections are in heaven, Col. 
Hi. 2. 

Fourthly, Their hopes are in heaven, Tit. ii. 13. 

Fifthly, Their conversations are in heaven, Phil. 
ill • 20 

Sixthly, Their hearts are in heaven, Mat. vi 21; 

Seventhly, Their alms are in heayen, Luke. x. 
20. 

O 1 there is much of believers in heaven, their 
souls are in heaven, when their bodies are walking* 
upon the earth; the}' live in heaven whilst they are 
on earth. Eph. ii. 6, And hath raised us up to- 
gether, and made us sit together in heavenly places, in 
Christ Jesus. The saints are set in heavenly dig- 
nities, heavenly privileges, heavenly prerogatives* 
The saints of the most high God are set on high 
places. The true church is that spouse that is fair 
and beautiful. Cant. ii. 14. O ! the true church 
of Christ is lovely and glorious. 

1. Glorious in her head. 2. Glorious in her ti« 
ties. 3. Glorious in her gifts and graces. 4. Glo» 
rious in her offices. 5. Glorious in her privileges. 
6. Glorious in her members. 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. SOT 

the church of Christ is a holy church, and a 
glorious church. That he might present it to him- 
self a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, 
or any such thing ; but that it should be holy with- 
out blemish. Eph. v. 25, They are not defiled with 
women, they are virgins, and in their mouth there 
was found no guile. Now, he that hath an ear to 
hear let him hear. 

1 shall exhort you that are members of this heav- 
enly church. 

First, To seek heavenly things before and above 
all things else: let your hearts be filled with knowl- 
edge and heavenly riches. 

Secondly, Delight in heavenly things : let it 
be your heaven upon earth, to serve the God of 
heaven. 

Thirdly, Act by heavenly principles. 

Fourthly, Have a holy dependence upon God, 
for direction, for protection, for assistance, for a 
blessing. 

Fifthly, Eye heavenly objects, God, Christ, and 
the Spirit. 

Sixthly, Imitate heavenly ones, follow them that 
follow Christ. 

Seventhly, Walk by a heavenly rule ; walk ac- 
cording to the law of heaven. 

Eighthly, and lastly, Live much in heaven. 

Your Father is in heaven, your Head is in heav- 
en, your Husband is in heaven, your King is in 
heaven, your treasure is in heaven, your crown is in 
heaven, your wages are in heaven. 



908 FOLLOW THE LAMB. 

And where should you be but in heaven? Know- 
ing in yourselves, that you have in heaven a better 
and an enduring substance, Heb. x. 34. For we 
know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle 
were dissolved, we have a building of God, an 
house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, 
2 Cor. v. 1. 

O ! these are blessed and holy ones. And they 
that were with him, are called the chosen, and faith- 
ful, Rev. xvii. 14. O ! labor to be like those in 
purity and piety, in holiness and humbleness, in 
meekness and patience, in faithfulness and upright- 
ness, in spiritualness, and in all godliness. 

Thirdly, Follow the Lamb out of Babylon. — 
And they cried with aloud voice, saying, How long, 
O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and 
avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 
Rev. vi. 10. And another angel came out of the 
temple, crying, with a loud voice to him that sat on 
the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle and reap, for the 
time is come for thee to reap, for the harvest of the 
earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust 
in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. 
And another angel came out of the temple which 
was in heaven, he having also a sharp sickle, Rev. 
xv. 15, 16, 17. The whore of Babylon shall be 
destroyed with a double destruction. Her walls 
shall fall down, her wall of power, her wall of pol- 
ity, her wall of superstition, her wall of mainten- 
ance. And that for these reasons. 

First, Because she hath a corrupt religion, and 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 309 

that both in doctrine and worship. Babylon is fal- 
len, is fallen, that great city, because she hath made 
all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her 
fornication, Rev. xiv. 8 — xviii. 3. 

Secondly, Because she hath poisoned the kings 
of the earth. The whore of Babylon hath been 
the great corrupter of kings. And I saw three un- 
clean spirits like frogs, come out of the mouth of 
the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and 
out of the mouth of the false prophets: for they are 
spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth 
unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, 
to gather them to the battle of that great day of 
God Almighty, Rev. xvi. 13, 14, — xvii. 2. 

Thirdly, For her cruelty. In her was found the 
blood of the prophets, and all the saints that were 
slain upon the earth, chap, xviii. 24. And I saw 
the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and 
with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus; and when 
I saw her, I wondered with great admiration, chap, 
vi. 16. 

Fourthly, Because her ruin and destruction is 
published and proclaimed over the world. And he 
cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Baby- 
lon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the 
habitation of devils, chap, xviii. 2, chap. xiv. 8. 

Fifthly, This is the great design that Christ 
hath in the latter days of the world, to destroy an- 
tichrist: The Lamb shall overcome them, for he is 
the Lord of lords, and King of kings, chap. xvii. 
14. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his 



310 FOLLOW TBS LAMB* 

head were many crowns and he was clothed in a 
vesture dipped in blood, and his name was called 
the Word of God ; and out of his mouth goeth a 
sharp sword, that with it he should smite the na- 
tions, chap, xix 12, 13, 16. 

Sixthly ', Because he hath greatly insulted and 
triumphed over the Lord's people in their miseries 
and calamities : And they that dwell on the earth 
shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and send 
gifts to one another, Rev. xi. 10. 

Seventhly, Because of all the churches enemies 
that ever were, this is the crudest enemy ; the 
fourth beast is worse than any of the former beasts. 
And behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, 
and strong exceedingly, and it had great iron teeth, 
and it was divers from all the beasts that were be- 
fore it, Dan. vii. 7 — Rev. xviii. 14. 

Eighthly, It is the expectation of all the saints, 
that Babylon shall be destroyed, and thrown like a 
mill-stone, chap, xviii. 21. Now that God hath 
raised this expectation in the hearts of his people, 
he will not frustrate their expectation., he will fulfil 
their petition. 

Ninthly, God hath promised to destroy the scar- 
let whore, because she hath destroyed his saints 
and she is to be rewarded, as she hath rewarded 
others, chap. xv. 5, chap, xviii. 8. 

Tenthly, The whore of Babylon shall be de- 
stroyed, because she trusted in the arm of flesh, 
and gloried in her strength and riches. How much 
she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so 



FOLLOW THE LAMB. 311 

much torment and sorrow give her. For she hath 
said in her heart, I sit a queen, I am no widow, 
and I shall see no sorrow, therefore shall her plagues 
come, chap, xviii. 7, 8. Now, beloved, consider 
this, think of this, and keep yourselves from Baby- 
lon, that ye do not partake of her sins, lest ye re- 
ceive of her plagues. O poor sinners! if you have 
any love to your, souls, if you have any mind to be 
saved, follow the Lamb, that you may be saved by 
the Lamb. 

He leads poor souls from darkness to light. 

From death to life. 

From vice to virtue. 

From Satan to God. 

From poverty to plenty. 

From sorrow to joy. 

From misery to glory. 

From an earthly kingdom to an heavenly kingdom . 

Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the king- 
dom, Matt. xxv. 24. 

O! the kingdom which Christ leads poor souls to is, 

1. A rich kingdom. 

2. A peaceable kingdom. 

3. A righteous kingdom. 

4. A blessed kingdom. 

5. A glorious kingdom. 

6. A falsifying kingdom. 

7. An universal kingdom. 

8. An everlasting kingdom. 

O! follow the Lamb, follow the Lamb, that you 
may be ever glorified with the Lamb, and by the 
Lamb. 



312 a call to sinners; or 

CALL TO SINNERS; OR, 

CHRIST'S VOICE TO LONDON, 

Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any 

man hear my voice, and open the door, I will 

come in to him, and sup with him, and he with 

me y - Rev. iii. 20. 

The holy scriptures are the mysteries of God, 
Christ is the mystery of the scriptures, grace is the 
mystery of Christ, 1 Tim. iii. 16. The Lord Je- 
sus is our life, and the way to life, 1 Cor. ii. 7. — 
To know him savingly, believingly, and experi- 
mentally, is life eternal, John xvii. 3. I am the 
way, saith Christ, John xiv. 6. 

The old and good way, Jer. vi. 16. 

The new and living way, Heb. x. 20. 

The strait and narrow way, Mat. vii. 14. 

And because poor sinners are by nature the chil- 
dren of wrath, and all gone out of the way. Hav- 
ing their understanding darkened, being alienated 
from the life of God, through the ignorance that 
is in them because of the blindness of their hearts, 
Eph. iv. 18. And become wretched and misera- 
ble, poor and blind, and naked, like to the Laodi- 
ceans, spoken of in this chap. ver. 17. Therefore 
the Lord Jesus, who is full of love, full of grace, 
and full of pity to poor lost sinners, doth gracious- 
ly invite them to come to him, that he may enrich 



Christ's voice to london. 813 

them with gold, and clothe them with white rai- 
ment, and anoint their eyes with eye-salve, that 
they may see, ver. 18. And further, to show his 
willingness and readiness to save souls, he tells us 
in the text, That he stands at the door and knocks, 
that if any man hear my voice, and open the door, 
I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he 
with me. 

1. God's gracious offer to man, Behold I stand at 
the door and knock. 

2. Man's duty in relation to God's gracious offer, 
If any man hear my voice, and open the door. 

3. God's gracious promise in relation to man's 
duty, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and 
he with me. 

These words being thus opened, there flows from 
them four points of doctrine. 

Doct. I. There is a marvellous willingness in 
the heart of God and Christ, to save and receive 
poor lost sinners. 

Doct. II. That the heart of poor sinners are 
barred and bolted against the Lord Jesus. 

Doct. III. That it is the duty and great concern- 
ment of all men whatsoever to hear God's voice 
and to open the door. 

Doct. IV. That whosoever will but hear Christ's 
voice, and open the door, he will come in to them, 
and sup with them, and they with him. 

Neither time nor strength, beloved, will give me 
leave to handle all these doctrines apart, therefore I 
P 



tU A CAIA TO SIKUM* OR, 

shall insist but upon one of them, which is the see- 
end; That the hearts of poor sinners are barred and 
bolted against the Lord Jesus. ■ . 

In the prosecution of this point, I shall do two 

things. 

1. Open it, that you may see it. 

2. Prove it, that you may believe it. 

First, In the opening, there are three things to 

be explained. 

1 The bars. 2. The voice. 3. The doors 
1. I shall show you what the bars are that bolt 

the doors of sinners hearts against Christ. 
Beloved, they are six. 

1. The bar of ignorance. 

2. The bar of unbelief. 

3. The bar of self-conceitedness. 

4. The bar of earthly-mindedness. 

5. The bar of prejudice. 

6. The bar of hardness of heart. 

These, my beloved, are the cursed bars which 
bar God and* Christ, and the Holy Spirit out of the 

heart. 

I shall begin first with the bar of ignorance, and 
in that I shall show you these three things. 

1. What ignorance is. 

2. What sinners are ignorant of. 

3. The mischeivousness of this sin of ignorance. 
First, What ignorance is. Ignorance is the 

want of knowledge, or darkness of the understand- 
ing; for, said the apostle Paul, Eph. iv. 18. Hav- 
ing the understanding darkened, being alienated from 



Christ's voice to london. 315 

the life of God, through the ignorance that is in 
them, because of the blindness of their hearts. — 
Here you may see what ignorance is ; the Apostle 
calls it darkness and blindness, so likewise in 2d 
Cor. xiii. 3, 4. But is our gospel be hid, it is hid 
to them that are lost ; in whom the god of this 
world hath blinded the minds of them which be- 
lieve not; least the light of the glorious gosjel of 
Chrtst, who is the image of God, should shine un- 
to them. So that ignorance is darkness of mind, 
blindness of heart, and want of knowledge and 
spiritual understanding in the soul. 

Secondly, What are sinners ignorant of? 

Answ. 1. They are ignorant of God, they are 
ignorant of Christ, they are ignorant of the Word, 
they are ignorant of their own misery, they are ig- 
norant of the necessity of a change, of being born 
again, of being new creatures, of being converted, 
and turned from darkness to light, from death to 
life, and from the power of Satan to the living God; 
such things as these, I say, they are ignorant of; 
and this is that which keeps poor souls from going 
to Christ. O beloved, we have many of those 
amongst us who are ignorant. It was said of the 
priests, the sons of Eli, that they were sons of Be- 
lial, and knew not the Lord, 1 Sam. ii. 12. So 
in the prophecies of Jeremiah, chap. ii. 8. It is 
said, the priests said not, Where is the Lord? and 
they that handle the law know me not. So the 
Pharisees were blind leaders of the blind, Mat. xv. 
14. Would to God there were no such among oui 



816 A CJULL TO SINNlRi; ©*, 

priests this day. May not that charge be drawn 
up against us now, as was against Israel, Hos. iv. 
1—6. Because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor 
knowledge of God in the land, by swearing, and 
lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing 
adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood: 
therefore the land mourneth, and my people are de- 
stroyed for lack of knowledge : because thou hast 
rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee that 
thou be no more a priest to me ; seeing thou hast 
forgotten the law of ihy God, I will also forget 
thy children; they eat up the sins of my people, and 
set their hearts on their iniquity ; and they are like 
people, like priest. Thus men err, not knowing 
the Scriptures, nor the power of God, Matthew 
xxii. 29. 

Thirdly y The mischievousness of this sin of 
ignorance. 

1 . Ignorance is that which keeps men from know- 
ing God. 

2. Ignorance is that which keeps men from pleas- 
tug God. 

3. Ignorance is that which keeps men from com- 
ipg to God. 

4. Ignorance hinders men from having a propri- 
ety in God. 

5. Ignorance is that which hardens the heart 
against God. O cursed and mischievous ignorance! 
What sin is like unto this ? This is that which 
darkens, which hardens, which blinds-and bars the 
door of sinners 5 hearts against Christ. O that thoM 



ohrist's voici to londom. SIT 

hadst known, saith our dear Lord, the things that 
belong to thy peace ; Luke xix. 42. But because 
they are a people of no understanding, therefore he 
that made them, will have no mercy on them, and lie 
that formed them will show them no favor, Isa. xxii. 
11. Thus, my beloved, I have showed you what a 
wretched and miserable state such are in, that are thus 
ignorant. 

The second bar is unbelief, which bolts and bars 
Christ out of the heart. This is that which makes 
men, 

1. That they give no credit to the report of the 
gospel. 

2. Neither do they yield that lovely and loyal 
ubjection to Christ as their Lord, where unbelief is 

3. Where unbelief is, it keeps off the heart from 
confidently believing on Christ, for that which is 
to be had in him, and so keeps out the love of our 
souls; it is that w r hich clips the wing of his mer- 
cy, Heb. iii. Lastly, it is that which holds the 
hand of his power, Mat. xiii. 58. And he did 
not many mighty works there, because of their un- 
belief. It is that which lets the soul into perdi- 
tion, John viii. 28 • Bev. xxi. 8, The unbeliev- 
ing shall have their portion in the lake of fire, 
which is the second death. Unbelief is that which 
hardeneth the heart, and causeth it to depart from 
God, Hebrews, iii. 12, 13. Take heed, brethren, 
lest there be in any of you, an evil heart of unbe- 
lief, in departing from the living God. But exhort 
on* another daily, while it is called to-day, lest any 
of you be hardened. O beloved, unbelief is that 



318 A CALL TO SiNNERSJ OR, 

also which gives God the lie. He that believeth 
not God, hath made him a liar, because he believ- 
eth not the record that God gave of his Son, 1 John 
v. 10. They believe not his promise, fear not his 
threatenings, nor hearken to the voice of his word; 
though he sets life and death before them, heaven 
and hell, bitter and sweet, yet they go on in the im- 
agination of their hearts, to add sin to sin, putting 
the evil day far away, but draw iniquity with the 
cords of vanity, and sin, as it were with a cart-rope. 
O beloved, this is the state and condition of unbe- 
lievers, this'is one of the bars that bolts Christ out 
of the heart ; as all believers are in a state of sal- 
vation, so all unbelievers are in a state of damnation, 
for he that believeth not, is condemned already, John 
iii. 18. 

First, A self-conceited man is one who supposes 
himself to be what he is not, Gal. vi. 3. If a 
man think himself to be something, when he is no- 
thing, he deceiveth himself. 

Secondly, A self-conceited man is one that glo- 
rieth in his works and despiseth others. Luke xviii. 
11, 14, And he spake this parable unto certain who 
trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and 
despised others. The Pharisee stood and prayed 
thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not 
as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or 
even as this Publican. But the Publican, whom 
he despised, went away rather justified ; for every 
one that exalteth himself shall be abased. 

Thirdly, A self-conceited man is the farthest 
!Vo?>) heaven of any man ; Verily, I say unto you, 



81? 

that the publicans and harlots go into the Kingdom 
of heaven before you, saith our Savior to the self- 
conceited Pharisee, Mat. xxi. 3. 

Fourthly j A self-conceited man is one that liv- 
eth the most secure in a state of sin and misery. 
And it shall come to pass, when he heareth the 
words of this curse, that he shall bless himself in 
his heart, saying, I shall have peace though I walk 
in the imagination of my heart, to add drunkenness 
to thirst, Deut. xxix. 18. 

Fifthly > A self-conceited man is the hardest to 
be wrought upon, and convinced of the state and 
condition that he is in, of any man : because he 
thinks himself righteous and holy enough, good 
and sound enough. Thus it is with the Scribes and 
Pharisees, who had such high thoughts of them- 
selves, that they thought themselves to be the most 
holy persons in the world: mark what Christ saith 
to them, John ix. 12. The whole need not a phy- 
sician, but they that are sick; I came not to call 
the righteous, but sinners to repentance. So also 
it is said, John vi. 28. Have any of th* filers, or 
of the Pharisees believed on him? Note, these 
were very hard to be convinced, and brought to own 
the truth. 

Sixthly , A self-conceited man is one that thinks 
that God is made up of nothing but mercy, and 
therefore lives in his sins, and pleaseth himself 
with this, that God is merciful; he lieth still in 
the ditch of sin, and crieth, God help, but never en- 
d*avrv:*eih to erare out : Hu* Hinngh the Lord waits 



830 4 CALL TO sinners; or, 

to be gracious, yet the Lord is of a good judgment, 
Isa. xxx. 10. O this is a sad and miserable condi- 
tion of a self-conceited man, this is that which keeps 
him from closing with Christ ; this is that cursed 
bar that bolts the door of sinners 5 hearts against 
Christ. 

The fourth bar is earthly-mindedness. 

First, An earthly-minded man is one that minds 
the things of this world more than he doth Jesus 
Christ: this was the case of the young man in the 
gospel who came to Christ, and asked him, saying, 
What good thing shall I do to inherit eternal life ? 
Jesus bids him keep the commandments ; he said 
unto him, All these have I kept from my youth up, 
what lack I yet ? Jesus saith unto him, If thou 
wilt be perfect, sell that thou hast, and give to the 
poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. But 
he being an earthly-minded man, would not em- 
brace the counsel of Christ, but went away sorrow- 
ful, for he had great possessions, Matthew xix. 20, 
21, 22. 

Secondly, An earthly minaea man is one that 
will leave the works of God to embrace this present 
world; this was Paul's complaint of Demas, 2 
Tim. iv. 10. For Demas hath forsaken me, hav- 
ing loved this present world. So also in Phil. ii. 
21. He saith, That all seek their own, not the 
things that are Jesus Christ's. 

Thirdly, An earthly-minded man is one that 
will preach false doctrines, for the love of money 
and filthy lucre's sake, 1 Tim. vi. 10. For the 



Christ's voice to London. 3S1 

love of money is the root of all evil, which while 
some have coveted after, they have erred from the 
faith, Tit. i. 10, 11. For there are many unruly 
and vain talkers and deceivers, which teach things 
they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake, 2 Pet. ii. 15. 
Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone 
astray, following the way of Balaam the son of 
Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness. — 
O beloved ! I could wish that this were not too 
much practised in this our day: but, alas! what 
shall 1 say? such is the earth ly-mindedness of 
many of the priests, that I may say of them, as 
the blessed apostle Paul of some in his day. Phil- 
ip, iii. 19, Whose end is destruction, whose god is 
their belly, and whose glory is their shame, who 
mind earthly things. 

Fourthly, An earthly-minded man is one that 
trusteth in his riches and not in God ; Prov. xi. 28. 
He that trusteth in his riches shall fall, Psal. xlix. 
6,7. They that trust in their wealth, and boast 
themselves in the multitude of their riches, none of 
them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give 
to God a ransom for him. Therefore if riches do 
increase, set not thine heart upon them. Psa. lxii. 
10. The blessed Apostle Paul, doth charge them 
that be rich in this world, that they trust not in un- 
certain riches, but in the living God, who giveth all 
things richly to enjoy, 1 Tim. vi. 18. Thus you 
may see, my beloved, that whosoever trusteth in 
uncertain riches more than in God is an earthly- 
minded man: it is that which bars men out of the 



382 a call to sinners; or* 

kingdom of heaven ; it is the word of Christ to his 
disciples. Mark x. 24, 25, How hard is it for 
them that trust in riches, to enter into the kingdom 
of God? It is easier for a camel to go through the 
eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into 
the kingdom of God. O beloved, it is a snare, it 
it is idolatry. Col. iii. 5, And covetousnesf, 
which is idolatry: it is the root of all evil, 1 Tim. 
vi. 10. For the love of money is the root of all 
evil. Thus earthly-mindedness, or covetousness, 
is another great sin that keeps souls from going to 
Christ for life and salvation: And they all with one 
consent began to make excuse. The first said unto 
him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must 
needs go and see it ; I pray thee have me excused. 
And another said, I have bought three yoke of oxen 
and I go to prove them ; I pray thee have me ex- 
cused. And another said, I have married a wife, 
and therefore cannot come, Luke xiv. 18, 19, 20. 

The fifth bar is prejudice, which bars Christ out 
of the heart. Wicked and sinful men have a great 
prejudice against Christ, that is, against these three 
things of Christ. 

First, They have a prejudice against -his doc* 
trine or worship. Many therefore of his disciples, 
when they heard this, said, This is a hard saying, 
who can bear it ? From that time many of his 
disciples went back, and walked no more with him, 
John vi. 60, 66. And they questioned among 
themselves, saying, What thing is this ? What new 
doctrine is this, Matt. xx. 10. Sinners have a 



LONDON. 92* 

great prejudice against the doctrine and worship ot 
Christ, they think it too pure, too spiritual, and too 
powerful for them to hear. 

Secondly. They have a great prejudice against 
the ministers or ambassadors of Christ ; they say 
of them as Aliab said of Micaiah, I hate him, for 
he never prophecies good of me, 1 Kings xxii. 8. 
So in 1 Kings xviii. 17, Ahab said unto Elijah, 
Art thou he that troubleth Israel? So Jeremiah 
complains of this, saying, I am in derision daily, 
every one mocketh me, because the word of the 
Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision 
daily, Jer. xx. 7, 8. So in Acts xxiv. 5, it is so of 
Paul, For we have found this man a pestilent fel- 
low, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews 
throughout all the world, and a ring leader of the 
sect of the Nazarenes: and this is according to the 
word of our blessed Lord : Matt. x. 22, And ye 
shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. 

Thirdly, Sinners have a great prejudice against 
the members of Christ, and that for four reasons. 

1. Because they are poor; Luke i. 22. 1 Cor. 
i. 26, — 30. Or despise ye the church of God, and 
shame them that are poor ? 

2. Because they are but few; Luke xi. 23 
Matt. vii. 13. Deut. vii. 7. For ye were the 
fewest of all people, Rev. iii. 4. Thou hast a 
few names, even in Sardis' which have not defiled 
their garments. 

3. Because they are unlearned in the account of 
men ; this is said of Christ, John vii. 17. How 



324 A CALL TO sinners; or, 

knoweththis man letters, having never learned? 
Also of Peter and John, it is said, Acts iv. 13. 
And when they perceived that they were unlearned 
and ignorant men, they marvelled ; and they took 
knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. 
Are ye also deceived? Have any of the rulers, 
or of the Pharisees believed in him ? But this 
people that knoweth not the law are cursed, John 
vii. 47, 48, 49. 

4. Because they will not conform to men's in* 
ventionsjso Chron. xi. 13.16. And the priests 
and the ievites that were in all Israel resorted to 
flehoboam, out of all their coasts ; for they left their 
suberbs and their possessions, and came Judah and 
Jerusalem : for Jeroboam and his sons had cast 
them off from executing the priests office before the 
Lord. And after them out 'of all the tribes of Is- 
rael, such as set their hearts to seek the Lord 
God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice unto 
the Lord God of their fathers, See Dan. iii. 18* 
Be it known unto the king that we will not serve 
any gods, nor worship the golden image that thou 
hast set up. Also in Matt. xv. 2. Why do the 
disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for 
they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 
But Jesus said unto them, why do ye also trans- 
gress the commandments of God by your tfadition? 
See also Acts v. 28, 29. Did I not strictly cnm- 
mand you, that you should not teach in this name? 
and behold ye have filled Jerusalem with your doc- 
trine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. 



Christ's voice to london. 826 

Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, 
We ought to obey God rather than man. See Col. 
ii. 21. 22. Touch not, taste not, handle not, which 
are to perish with the using, after the command- 
ments and doctrines of men. O my dear brethren 
this cursed sin of prejudice, is that which keeps 
sinners from receiving of the truth in love of it, and 
a bar which bolts Christ out of the heart. 

The sixth bar is hardness of lkeart, which bolts 
the hearts of sinners against Christ ; and they are 
hardened. 

1. Against God, Job. xi. 4. Who hath har- 
dened himself against God, and hath prospered? 

2. Their hearts are hardened against his mercy, 
that it doth not draw them ; Rom. ii. 4, 5. Or 
despisest thou the riches of the goodness, and for- 
bearance, and long suffering, not knowing that the 
goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But 
after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasure up 
unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath, and 
revelation of the righteous judgment of God. 

3. Their hearts are hardened against his judg- 
ments, that they do not tremble at them ; as it is 
said, Exod. viii. 32. And Pharaoh hardened his 
heart at this time also, neither would he let the peo- 
ple go. As it is also said, Jer. v. 22; fear ye not 
me, saith the Lord? And will ye not tremble at 
my presence? 

4. Their hearts are hardened against his word, 
that it doth not reform them ; Prov. xxix. 1. He 
that being often reproved, and hardeneth his neck, 



3S6 A. CALL TO SINNKRSf OR, 

shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without rem- 
edy. Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest 
my words behind thee, Psal. 1. 17. See in Jer. 
xliv. 16, 17. As for the word which thou hast 
spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will 
not hearken unto thee ; but we will certainly do 
whatsoever cometh out of our own mouth. 

6. Their hearts are hardened against the Spirit 
of God that it doth not melt them ; Gen. vi. 3, my 
Spirit shall not always strive with man. As Ste- 
phen said to the Jews, Acts vii. 51, ye stiff-necked 
and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always 
resist the Holy Ghost ; as your fathers did, so do ye. 

6 . Their hearts are hardened against all the means 
of grace, or gracious invitations from the people 
of God; but ye refused to hearken, and pulled away 
the shoulder, and stopped the ear, and made the 
heart like an adamant stone, least they should hear 
the law, and the word which the Lord of Hosts 
sent to them by his Spirit in the former prophets, 
Zech. vii. 11, 12. They are like the deaf adder 
that stoppeth his ear, which will not hearken to 
the voice of the charmer, charming never so wisely, 
Psal. lviii. 4, 5. O dear friends ! this is another 
bar which bolts Christ out of the hearts of poor 
sinners. Thus beloved, I have showed you what 
the bars are that bolt the door of our hearts against 
Christ, that we do not hear his voice, and open the 
door. 

Secondly. The second thing which is here to be 
explained, is, what this voice is, which sinners are 



CHftiat's VOICB tO tON&ON. 317 

to hear ; it is the voice of Christ; he is speaking to 
poor sinners, to open the door of their hearts, that 
he may come in and sup with them. 

There are two sorts of voices by which Christ 
speaketh to the soul, inward voices and outward 
voices. 

First. Inward voices. 1. The voice of con* 
science ; the Lord Jesus speaks to sinners by their 
conscience : it is said of the Jews, John viii. 2. 
They were convinced by their own consciences. 
So Paul saith, Rom. ix. 1. My conscience bear- 
ing me witness ; and of the Gentiles Paul saith, 
Rom. ii. 15. That they did by nature the thing 
contained in the law, their conscience also bearing 
them witness. And so Paul saith, 2 Cor. i. 12. 
Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our con- 
science. O friends ! God preacheth to you many 
times by your consciences, which speaketh to you, 
secretly and powerfully, condemning and reproving 
your iniquities. O therefore hear the voice of con- 
science, for it is the voice of Christ; hear, I say 
and hearken to it, and let Christ in, that he may sup 
with you. 

Christ speaks to us by the voice of his Spirit, as 
he did to the old world; Gen. vi. 3; My Spirit 
shall not always strive with man ; and as he did to 
the Jews. Actsvii. 51, Ye do always resist the 
Holy Ghost ; as your fathers did so do ye. So in 
Johnxvi. 8, Christ tells us, that the Spirit should 
convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and 
of judgment. O the ever blessed God spake to the 



338 A CALL TO SIJfNKBS$ OR, 

world by his blessed Spirit, striving with them, 
convincing of them, and reproving of them for their 
iniquities, that their souls may believe in him, and 
live with him to all eternity. 

Secondly. There are outward voices by which 
Christ speaks to sinners; 1. By the voice of his 
word, winch is the preaching of the gospel ; that is 
the word of reconciliation. O sinner! when thou 
hearest the word read, thou hearest the voice of 
Christ, Col. i. 5; Wherefore ye heard before in 
the word of the truth of the gospel, as Christ saith. 
John v. 39, search the scriptures, for they are they 
which testify of me. The voice of the scripture 
is the voice of Christ : and as Christ speaks to us 
by them here, so he will judge us by them hereafter; 
Rom. ii. 16; God will judge the secrets of men by 
Christ Jesus, according to my gospel : John xii. 
48 ; where Christ saith, The word which I have 
spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. 

2. Christ speaks to sinners by the voice of his 
rod, by affliction, and tribulation, and judgments, 
Mic. vi. 9. The Lord's voice erieth unto the city, 
and the man of wisdom shall hear thy name ; hear 
ye the rod, and who hath appointed it. 

3. Christ speaks to sinners by the voice of his 
servants ; as in Isa. i. 10; Who is there among you 
that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his 
servants? So in 2 Cor. v. 10; now then we are 
ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech 
you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye 



Christ's voice to London. 329 

reconciled to God. So in Mat. xviii ; he that hear- 
eth you heareth me. O sinners ! Christ speaks to 
you by the voice of his servants, and by his minis* 
ters and members, who beseech you, and entreat 
you to be reconciled, that you may have peace with 
God through Jesus Christ. 

Having thus briefly showed you what the voices 
are: 

3. I shall in the third place come to show you 
what the door is that Christ stands and knocks at, 
which sinners are to open and let him in. 

1 . The first door which sinners should open unto 
Christ, is the door of their thoughts; I say, we must 
open the door pf our thoughts to him, that God may 
be in our thoughts, Christ in our thoughts, the 
Spirit of life and power in our thoughts, eternity in 
our thoughts, heaven and judgment in our thoughts; 
keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts 
of thy heart, 1 Chron. xxix. 10. How previous 
also are thy thoughts unto me, O God ! How 
great is the sum of them ! Psal. cxxxix. 17. In the 
multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts 
delight my soul, Psal. xvi. 29. O ! this is the first 
door of our hearts which believers open to our bles- 
sed Lord. 

2. The second is the door of consideration, 
which sinners should open to Christ ; O that they 
were wise and understood this, that they would coi*- 
sider their latter end ! Deut. xxxii. 29. The ox 
knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; 
but Israel doth not know, my people doth not con* 



330 a call to sinners; OS, 

sider, Isai. i. 3. The tabret, and pipe, and harp, 
and wine are in their feasts ; but they regard not 
the work of the Lord, neither consider the opera- 
tion of his hands, Isai. i. 12. But now these that 
have opened the door to Christ, they consider their 
ways ; The upright considered* his ways, Prov. xxi. 
29. And the wondrous works of God, Job xxxvii. 
14. And what great things God hath done for him, 
1 Sam. xii. 24. Therefore, thus saith the Lord of 
hosts, consider your ways, Hag. i. 5. And this is 
the second door of the heart. 

3. The third door is the door of affections, which 
sinners should open to Christ. Thou shalt love 
the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all 
thy soul, Deut. vi. 5. If any man love not the 
Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Marao- 
atha, Col. xvi. 22. Grace be with all them that 
love our Lord Jesus Christ, in truth and sincerity, 
Eph. vi. 24. Set your affections on things above, 
and not on things beneath, Col. iii. 2. The door 
of love and affection must be opened to Christ, that 
he may come into your hearts, and be your nearest 
and dearest, your joy and delight; that you may 
have reconciliation with the Father, union with the 
Son, and communion w r ith the Holy Ghost. And 
this is the third door of the heart. 

4. The fourth is the door of desire, which must 
be opened to Christ, or else he cannot come into our 
hearts, and sup with us. O sinners ! you must de- 
sire a thirst after Christ vehemently, and say as the 
church doth in the last of the Canticles, Make haste 



Christ's voicb to london. . 831 

my beloved, and be thou like to a roe, or to a young 
hart upon the mountains of spices. So in Rev, 
xxii. 20 ; Even so, come Lord Jesus, come quickly. 
So with the Psalmist, Psal. lxxiii. 25 ; Whom have 
I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth 
that I desire besides thee. And with the church, 
Isai. xxvi ; With my soul have 1 desired thee in 
the night, yea, with my spirit within me will I seek 
thee early ; for the desire of my soul is to thy name, 
and to the remembrance of thee. So with Paul, I 
desire to know nothing among you, save Jesu3 
Christ, and him crucified, 1 Cor. ii. 2. This is 
the fourth door of the heart which you must open 
to Christ, without which there is no supping with 
Christ, nor Christ with you. 

5. The fifth, is the door of estimation which 
sinners must open to Christ; that is, to prize him, 
and to value him as more precious than all other 
things besides ; so do believers, 1 Pet. ii. 7. Unto 
you therefore which believe he is precious; and 
with Paul, I do count all things but dung and dirt 
to gain him ; and also with Moses to esteem the re- 
proaches of Christ greater riches than the treasures 
of Egypt, Heb. xi. 26. O ! these blessed souls that 
have opened this door to Christ, he is to them all 
lovely, the chief among ten thousand ; yea, he is 
better than rubies, and all things thou canst desire 
are not to be compared unto him, Prov. iii. 15. So 
it must be with you, poor souls, you must look upon 
Christ as most lovely, most precious, most desirable, 
and most Morions: thus he is to the Father, to the 



k CA*LL TO SINNERS; OR 

holy angels, and the saints. And this is the fifth 
door of the heart. 

6. The sixth is the door of a good conversation, 
which sinners as well as saints must open to Christ: 
for our conversation is in heaven, from whence also 
we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Phil, 
iii. 30. For the grace of God that bringeth salva- 
tion, hath appeared to all men, teaching us, that 
denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should 
live soberly, and godly, and righteously, in this pre- 
sent world, Titus ii. 11, 12. Seeing then that all 
these things shall be dissolved; what manner of 
persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and 
godliness, 2 Peter iii. 11. Only let your conversa- 
tion be as becometh the gospel of Christ, Psal. 1. 
23. And to him that ordereth his conversation 
aright, will 1 show the salvation of God. This is 
the sixth door of the heart, to wit, a good conversa- 
tion: This also must be opened to Christ that he 
may come in, and sup with us, and we with him, 
that our souls may have fellowship and communion " 
with him. 

And thus I have briefly showed you, beloved, 
what the doors are that must be opened to Christ. 
Now having done with the explanation, I come to 
the application of the point. And as I have open- 
ed it to you, that you might see it, and present it to 
you, that you might believe it; I shall now apply 
it, that you may receive it. 

Is it so, beloved, that the hearts of sinners are 
thus barred and belted against the Lord Jesus? 



Christ's voice to london. 833 

Use 1. First, by way of information. This 
may be of use to inform us of the sad and misera- 
ble condition of all unconverted persons. They 
are wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind, 
and naked; they are without Christ, being aliens 
from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to 
the covenant of promise ; having no hope, and with- 
out God in the world, Eph. ii. 12. O sinners, this 
is your condition, who are graceless, and Christless 
persons. And though this be sad, yet this is not 
all; for your hearts are barred and bolted against 
the Lord of life and glory. O thou that hearest or 
readest this, how canst thou but tremble to think 
that thy heart should be thus barred and bolted 
against Jesus Christ with ignorance, with unbelief 
self-conceitedness, earthly-mindedness, prejudice, 
and hardness of heart ? And yet all this while open 
to sin, to Satan, and the world, which are cruel en- 
emies to thy soul. That I may hasten you out of 
this condition, if it be the will of God, [as the an- 
gel did Lot out of Sodom, Gen. xix.] I shall turn 
my discourse Into an exhortation. 

Use 2. And first of all let me exhort you, whose 
hearts are thus barred and bolted against Jesus 
Christ, to hear his voice, and to open the door. 

First. To hear his voice; O sinners, Christ 
speaks to you by your consciences, by the Spirit, 
by his word, by his rod, and by his servants. O 
ye men and women in this city, God hath speaken to 
you by all these voices, but you have turned the deaf 
ear to Christ. The Lord's voice crieth unto the 



A CALL TO SINNERS; OR, 

city, and the man of wisdom shall hear thy name : 
hear ye the rod and who hath appointed it, Mic. 
vi. 9. O London, London, God speaks to thee by 
his judgments ; and because thou wouldst not hear 
the voice of the word, he hath made thee to feel 
the stroke of his rod: O great city! how hath the 
plague broke in upon thee because of thy abomina- 
tions ! Thus they provoked him to anger with 
their inventions, and the plague broke in upon them, 
Psal. cvi. 27. O you of this city! How is the 
wrath of the Lord kindled against you, that such 
multitudes of thousands are fallen within thy bord- 
ers by the noisome pestilence, God's immediate 
sword ! London, how are thy streets thinned, thy 
widows increased, and thy burying places filled, thy 
inhabitants fled* thy trade decayed ! O ! therefore, 
lay to heart, that you are yet alive, and all these 
things, and turn from your wicked ways, that the 
cry of your prayers may out cry the cry of your 
sins ; and be like the city of Nineveh, who believed 
God, and gave credit to Jonas, humbled themselves, 
fasted and cried mightily unto the Lord, Jonah iii. 
5. O let not the heathen outstrip christians. Did 
Nineveh repent, and turn from their wicked ways, 
and shall not London? May be you think that all 
is well now, and that God is your friend, because 
the sickness decreaseth and abateth; I say blessed 
be God for it ; but be not deceived, God is not 
mocked; to whomsoever God bestows great mer- 
cies, if they abound in great wickedness he will 
inflict great punishment upon them. Alas! be- 



Christ's voice to londok. ' 335 

loved, do your sins increase? and doth that abate? 
Is there a reformation and amendment of life among 
you ? If this be so, then you may hope that God 
hath done afflicting you. If my people, that are 
called by my name, shall humble themselves, a?ndf 
pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked- 
ness, then will I forgive their sins and heal their 
land, 2 Chron. vii. 14. But if you still remain as 
profane as before, as superstitious as before, as car- 
nal as before, as luke-warm as before, as hard- 
hearted and as cruel as before, as proud and vain as 
before, I say, if it be thus with you, God hath 
not done yet with London, but hath other judg- 
ments to pour out upon you, though he cause this 
to cease. Do but see how God dealt with the Jews 
in this case; Amos iv. 6 — 13, I have given you 
cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of 
bread in all your places ; yet have >ye not returned 
unto me, saith the Lord; I have also withholden 
the rain from you ; yet you have not returned unto 
me saith the Lord. I have smitten you with blast- 
ing and mildew ; yet have ye not returned unto me, 
&aith the Lord : I have sent among you the pesti- 
lence, after the manner of Egypt. Your young 
men have I slain with the sword, and have taken 
away your houses, and have made the stink of your 
camps to come up into your nostrils ; yet have ye 
not returned unto me, saith the Lord. I have over- 
thrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and 
Gomorrah, and ye were as fire-brands plucked out 
of the burning ; yet ye have not returned unto me 



836 ' A CALL TO sinners; OR, 

saith the Lord. Therefore thus will I do unto 
thee, O Israel ; and because I will do thus unto thee, 
prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. Therefore, 
my dear brethren, for God's sake, for Christ's sake, 
and for your soul's sake, hear Christ's voice, that 
you may be prosperous upon the earth, and glorious 
in heaven. 

2. Let me exhort you, and O that I could pre- 
vail with you, to persuade you of this city, to 
three things. 

1 . That you would thoroughly turn from your 
evil ways, and amend your doings, that God may 
repent him of the evil, which otherways he may 
bring upon you. O see what the Lord saith, Jer. 
xxvi. 3 ; If so be they will hearken, and turn every 
man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the 
evil which I purpose to do unto them because of 
their doings. * See ver. 13. Therefore now amend 
your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of 
the Lord your God, and the Lord will repent him 
of the evil that he hath purposed against you. Also 
mark what the Lord speaketh by the prophet, Jer. 
vii. 3. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, the God 
of Israel. Amend your ways and your doings, 
and I will cause you to dwell in this place, Ver. 5. 
If you thoroughly mend your ways and doings, O 
beloved, the Lord God is willing to heal, willing 
to hear, and willing to forgive. Great cities are 
places which are usually guilty of great sins, great 
provocations, and great abominations ; and for this 
cause God hath destroyed and overthrown many 



337 

cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Gen. xix. 24. 
Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah 
fire and brimstone from the Lord out of heaven. 
Also Admah and Zeboim, Hosea xi. 8. How shall 
I make thee as Admah ? and set thee as Zeboim? 
So Jerusalem and other cities were destroyed by 
God for their sias and wickedness, 2 Chron. xxxv. 
9; Jer. liii. 13, 14. Now see what the apostle 
Peter saith to this, 2 Peter ii. 6, and turning the 
cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, con- 
demned them with an overthrow, making them an 
example unto those that after should live ungodly. 
O London, repent that it may not be so with thee. 
O ye people rend your hearts, and not your gar- 
ments, and turn unto the Lord who is willing to 
receive you, that his judgments may be diverted, 
your former mercies restored, and his blessing 
poured out upon you. 

2. That you would dearly love and highly prize 
the precious saints and servants of the most high 
God which are amongst you. They are they of 
whom the world is not worthy, Heb. xi. 26. God 
prizes them as his jewels and treasures, Mai. Hi. 
17. Exod. xix. 5. God calls them the dearly be- 
loved of his soul, Jer. xii. 7. They are a chosen 
generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a pe- 
culiar people, 1 Peter ii. 9. O ! therefore he suf- 
fered no man to do them w r rong ; yea, he reproved 
kings for their sakes, Psal. cv. 14. O beloved! 
nations, cities and kings are blessed for their sakes; 
sec Gen. xii. 2, 3 ; and thou shait be a blessing; 

Q 



338 A CALL TO SINNERS,' OR, 

and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them 
that curBe thee. O London ! in this thou art happy; 
yea more happy than any one city upon the face of 
the earth, that I know or have heard of; because 
thou hast within thy borders more righteous, more 
saints, more true believers, who are still fighting and 
mourning for their sins, praying for thy peace, and 
seeking and desiring thy eternal good. 

3. And lastly: Let me exhort you to open the 
door and let Christ in, into your thoughts, your 
minds, your affections, your desires, your estima* 
tions, your conversations. O beloved, keep Christ 
out no longer, but let him into your hearts and 
souls, that he may make you rich in faith, rich in 
knowledge, ri«h in assurance, rich in privileges, rich 
in experience, and rich in good works. 

O therefore let not sin be let in, and Christ shut 
out; O let Jesus Christ into your hearts, for if you 
shut the door against Christ, he will shut the door 
against you. 

First. The door of mercy. 

Secondly. The door of acceptance. 

Thirdly. The door of salvation. 

First. The door of mercy will be shut against 
you. Such whom Christ calls to, and they will 
not hear, they shall call, but Christ will not hear ; 
Prov. i. 14. Because I have called and ye have 
refused, I have stretch out my hand and no man re- 
garded. Verse 28. Then shall they call upon me, 
but I will not answer, they shall seek me early, but 
they shall not find me. Mine eyes shall not spare, 



OHHIST's YOICE TO LONDON. 

neither shall I have pity ; and though they cry in 
mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear 
them, Ezek. viii. 18. Therefore, thus saith the 
Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon them which 
they shall not be able to escape ; and when they 
shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them, 
Jer. xi. 11 . Because they have behaved themselves 
ill in their doings, Micah iii. 4. Thus, my beloved 
you see how the door of God's mercy will be shut 
against you, if you shut the door of you hearts 
against Christ. 

2. The door of acceptance will be shut against 
you, if you shut the door of your hearts against 
Christ. Thus saith the Lord unto his people, 
Thus have they loved to wonder, therefore the Lord 
doth not accept them when they fast, I will not 
hear their cry, and when they offer burnt offerings 
and oblations, I will not accept of them, Jer. xiv. 
10, 12. To what purpose cometh there to me in- 
cense from Seba? and the sweet cane from a far 
country? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, 
nor your sacrifices sweet unto me, Jer. vi. 20. I 
hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell 
in your solemn assemblies. And though ye offer 
me offerings, I will not accept of them, Amos iv. 
21, 22. O beloved, those that will not accept of 
Christ, shall not be accepted in Christ ; who have 
made us acceptable in the beloved, Eph. i. 6. 

3. The door of salvation will be shut against 
you, if you shut the door of your hearts against 
Christ. He that made you will not save you, and 



340 ! A CALL TO SINKERS, &C. 

he that formed you will show you no Savior. But 
as you have refused to open the door of your hearts 
to your Savior, so will he refuse to own you as his 
people, and to open the door of salvation for you. 
See the words of our blessed Lord himself, Luke 
xiii. 25, 27, 28, when once the master of the house 
is risen up and has shut the door, and ye begin to 
stand without and knock at the door, saying, Lord, 
Lord, open unto us ; and he shall answer, and say 
unto you, I know you not whence you are, Depart 
from me all ye workers of inquity. There shall 
be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall 
see Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob, and all the 
prophets in the kingdom of God, and you your- 
selves thrust out. Consider what hath been said; 
and the Lord give you understanding in all things. 



'concerning djcath. 341 



CONSIDERATIONS OF DEATH. 

Containing some few reasons why men fear it i 
and opposite reasons, by way of ansivcr, why 
they should not fear it. 

Object. 1 . Because thereby we are deprived of 
the exercise of all our senses, so that whatever de- 
light, either our taste, smell, hearing, sight, or feel- 
ing hath afforded us, we shall enjoy the same no 
more, whilst, perhaps, many generations after us, 
shall have the fruition thereof. 

Answer, 1 . As the exercise of our senses afford 
opportunity of delight, so are they capable of annoy- 
ing and grieving us ; as the taste of bitterness and 
sharpness, &c. The smell by noisome pollution, 
corruption, &c. The hearing by terrible and hid- 
eous noise, and evil tidings; the sight by loathsome, 
affrighting and miserable appearances ; the feeling 
by tedious pains, &c . 

Again, we have had the benefit of surviving for- 
mer generations, who are liable to what we are ; 
and so shall be those who shall succeed us. 

Object. 2. But that which aggravates the evil 
thereof, is a man's being cut off in the flower or 
strength of his age ; whereas, if he lived the com% 
mon age of men, he should the more contentedly 
leave this life. 

Answer. Why, what is man? Is he not a flow- 
er, as grass, and the like? And are the v not cutoff 



342 COtfCSANINO DEATH. 

in their best state? And may not God when he 
walketh in, or vieweth his garden of human flowers, 
have as much liberty to crop them, as men have of 
theirs? Surely, yea, for all arc his. 

Secondly. And though God permit some men to 
live as long as an ordinary course of nature, or be 
it seventy years, (which is judged the most com- 
mon) or more ; yet he hath not promised them so 
long to live. 

Thirdly. And though so many live long, yet con- 
sidering the wars, plagues, and other diseases among 
men, it is not without reason, though there are many 
more that die who have not lived according to the 
course of nature. 

Fourthly. As we conclude, that no person, better, 
or so well as the gardener, or such as sowed, plan- 
ted, dressed, and frequently practiseth about the 
flowers and plants, knows when, and for what rea- 
son, to gather and pluck up, so no person knoweth 
better, nor so well as God knows, when to cut, or 
pluck up what he hath planted in the world, who 
doth all his actions upon good and weighty reasons, 
even greater and better than any gardener, or other 
person hath, for what he doth in his concernment. 

Object. 3. In death a man becomes a loathsome 
spectacle to all beholders, insomuch that the sight 
and smell of the survivors find not more noisome 
offence from, and account not more vilely of the 
most loathsome creature in this world, than of a 
dead and rotten corpse of mankind ; and is not that 
very grievous to become from a delightful compan- 
i n, an abhorrence of all people. 



CONCERNING DEATH. 843 

Answer, 1. True, being dead, a man becomes a 
loathsome spectacle to all beholders ; and do not 
many diseases to which a man is incident in this life 
effect the same in beholders. 

4> Though men do become by death what is sug- 
gested, yet hath he not sense thereof; and in that is 
the proverb verified, What the eyes see not, the 
heart rues not ; For look on man in that case* as 
we may, as a dead lump of corruption, and what 
misery can we apply thereto ! Who looks on a 
dung hill, or a jakes, and saith, Alas ! for its mis- 
ery? The same feels not, and knows not any- So 
that although the thoughts of such a condition by 
death, grieve us whilst living, yet in that condition 
itself we shall be free from such grief. 

3c Again, consider that we are but earth before we 
had life; and being dead, we return to our first es 
tate ; and though withal we become for a season 
more impure and corrupt than barely earth, yet ill 
time we shall become very dust, when the purifica- 
tion is consumed, and in that sense, but especially 
in a more excellent, will that saying be fulfilled, to 
wit : Corruption shall put on incorruption* 

Object. 4. Death deprives man of his society, 
with whom he hath sweet converse. 

Answer, I. True, but it is in order [if he dies in 
God's favor] to enjoy in due season, better society 
than men on earth have. 

2. Beside?, as thou loosest thy friends on earth, 
so thou art rid of thy enemies there too. 

Object. 5. Though death may make way for bet- 
ter society than we have been used to here, yet w« 



344 COKCERNING DEATH. 

know not what it shall be ; the body not being to 
receive new life till the general resurrection, which 
may be very long delayed. 

Answer. Suppose it be so, as the most of Chris- 
tians believe, that the best part of men receive glory 
and happiness immediately after death j yet from 
the thne of death, to the general resurrection, at 
which time all knowing Christians believe the re- 
ward of the righteous will not fail, the space be- 
tween death and it, is but as one day ; and he, who 
by means of an apoplexy, or the like occasion, sleeps 
many days and nights without waking, cannot es- 
teem the time he hath slept, answerable to the meas* 
ure thereof; but it may be to him as one day or 
night* And in this sense may death be reckoned 
(as usually it is in holy scripture) a sleep. 

Object. 6. Suppose a man should die by the hand 
of a cruel man-slayer, who delights in torturing and 
destroying the body of man, as have been seen ; 
would not the conceit of one so cruel, coming toact 
his mind upon a person, make the thought of such 
a death more terrible, when therein as man is no 
more to be regarded than a dog or the vilest person. 

Answer, 1. Yea, but do not many by reason of 
wounds and gangrened members in their lives, for 
pain, and tremble as much at the sight of the chir- 
urgeon when he comes to do his office on them, as 
a man doth at the sight of the executioner to do 
this? And consider that all that is commonly done 
as such a death causeth less pain for the party, thai) 



CONCERNING DEATH. 348 

some do suffer by cutting off one limb, in curing 
some one wound or disease. 

2. Again, consider that the more of torments a 
man endures in this life, whether at death or o < r- 
wise, the less he is like to suffer after this life, and 
the more blessing he is like then to enjoy, if he be 
a good or worthy man, suffering here as a child of 
God and not as a reprobate, Rev. xxviii. ver. 7, 
chap. xx. ver. 4, 5, 9. 

Object. 7. But in our present state we have being, 
life, sense, and reason ; and in death we shall have 
(at the most) only being, and is not that very griev- 
ous to consider, that we shall be reduced to no bet- 
ter a condition than a piece of earth or stone. 

Answer. It is true that this consideration is very 
grievous in itself; but yet whilst men have reason 
as well as being, life and sense, let him use it to 
consider also, that he hath no more cause to com- 
plain than for a piece of earth he now treads on ; if 
it should please God as at the first, to create thereof 
a man like himself, and shortly reduce it to its for- 
mer state; for thus it is now with mankind in gen- 
eral. 

Object. 8. It is confessed, that there is a proverb, 
For one pleasure a thousand dolors, but it seems 
no better than a flourish of learned men to <;elor 
over a bad matter ; for although the miseries of man 
in this life are many; yet if the benefits therein do 
not surmount these miseries, it is likely that men 
would not so much desire to continue therein, as 
uow they do; and therefore who would fear death. 



34$ CONCERNING DEATH. 

Answer, 1. Suppose it be granted that the pro 
verb is only a flourish, and the benefits of this life 
do surmount the miseries thereof, yet no man is able 
to say, how long a person in order to be happy 
should live here to enjoy those benefits ; but God 
knows that he hath appointed for men once to die: 
therefore rest satisfied in his wisdom, for disposing 
of thy time for death, concluding that the same 
shall be in its due season. 

2. Again, consider that it is God's prerogative 
over all his creatures, to dispose of them, how, and 
when he will. 

1. Moreover, God hath already set the bounds 
of thy life, beyond which thou canst not pass, 
wherefore patiently commit thyself to him in well 
doing, and quietly satisfy thyself with his pleasure; 
making of necessity a virtue ; for it is in vain for 
man to strive against the stream, by tormenting^ 
himself with that which he cannot avoid : yet this 
doth not hinder that all men may, yea ought to use 
what lawful means God gives them opportunity of, 
for saving their lives. 

Object. 9. Well though it be granted, that these 
answers which have been urged, have most (if not 
all of them) common reason and experience on their 
side ; yet there remains further grounds to fear death 
as well as from what the Holy Scripture, as nature 
or custom doth evidence, and that in part is this, to 
wit, death is reckoned the king of terrors, as job 
xviii. 14. compared with Heb. ii. 15. 



CONCERNING DEATH. 347 

Answer. Death is indeed granted to be the king 
of terrors, but that is in regard of a certain sting 
that is in it; if that sting be taken away, death will 
not be so terrible as before ; yea, it will be rather 
gain than loss to die, if that sting reach not the party 
dying. 

Object. 10. I confess there may be some comfort 
in that answer, if one knew how to escape that 
sting ; but that is a thing so difficult that I greatly 
fear death; if I were sufficiently provided in that 
case, I should have comfort. 

Answ. It is true that the difficulty lies even there 
where it is expressed, that though it be so difficult, 
yea, impossible with men, yet it is^ not so difficult 
with God ; he hath sufficiently provided for man in 
that case ; for he is that King of kings, hath subdued 
the king of terrors, and done what is needful for a 
man concerning the same ; for which purpose see 
these scriptures, to wit: 2 Cor. xv. 55, 57;? John 
iii. 14, 15, 20, 10, 55, 50, 17, and part of the 18th: 
Rom. v. to the 12th, and forward to the end of the 
chapter. 

Object. 11. 1 grant it appears plain enough, that 
there is through Jesus Christ victory wrought over 
that enemy mentioned, and ans we rably the sting is 
taken away that I feared ; I say, taken from some, 
but it seems not from all ; because it is said, The 
sting of death is sin ; so that where the sin is, there 
is the sting also ; and I know myself a sinner, and 
therefore in danger of that sting. 

Answ- Indeed if thou knowest thyself a sinner 



348 CONCERNING DEATH* 

and gricvest not for it, but art therewith content, 
neither repenting of, nor reforming from it, I can- 
not say the sting of death is taken away from thee; 
but if thou dost truly repent of thy sins, and endea- 
vor with hearty sorrow to forsake sin, the sting of 
death is taken away from thee : for the ScriptUDe 
tells us Christ died for sinners, that is to say, hum- 
ble penitent sinners, not for obstinate ones. A nota- 
ble example whereof was manifested when the Sa- 
vior of the world himself was held up, to wit, in 
that of the two thieves, the one railed on Christ, 
and was reproved, the other humbled himself: he 
also prayed and received the answer of salvation. 

Object. 12. Iodeed the example, methinks, doth 
tend to prove what you say; but in so considerable 
a case as this, a man would desire more than one 
witness* 

Answ. Therefore take no more, to wit, Prov. 
viii. 13. Isa-i. i. from ver. 19, Matt. ix. 12, Rom. 
v,8, 1 Tim, xv. 15 • 



Some further Grounds whereon a poor Sinner 

may expect mercy through tfie Merits of Jesus 

Christ. 

First, Through a sense of sin, look on the Lord 
Christ, as those that were stung with the scorpions 
in the wilderness did on the serpent. 

Next followeth the humbling of the soul ; the 
effects of which is to be seen in the Scriptures, to 



CONCERNING DEATH. 84$ 

wit, Job xxxi. 29. Psalm x. 17. Isaiah lv. 15. 

James iv. 6. 

Which humiliation begets a self-examination, by 
which knowing the holy rules of life, and compar- 
ing a man's life to that rule, trying how his case is; 
he is hereby ready to say in respect of his misery, 
as the apostle doth, Romans vii. 9, 10, 11. He 
seeth himself a dead man in the sense of the law. 

And that works in him a holy sorrow, and re- 
pentance not to be repented of, to wit, repentance to 
salvation, 2 Cor. 10, 11. 

It brings him to see not only that he is a condemn-* 
ed or guilty person but that he is irrecoverably lost, 
and must needs perish, without some person as a 
•Mediator or Redeemer to undertake for his ransom, 
or hath undertaken it; for that God is infinitely 
just, and he must have his justice satisfied: and all 
that poor souls can do, is but to amend their lives 
for the future, walking more conformably to the 
righteous law of God than heretofore : but alas ! 
that is no more than what we ought to do for the 
time to come ; it will not satisfy divine justice for 
the transgressions already done against the law of 
God, any more than a man's paying another in any 
ensuing week, month, or year, for all he is engaged 
for within the space of time, doth satisfy and clear 
the debt, which became due in the time before that 
week. Neither, indeed, can a man of himself sat- 
isfy for what he shall owe to it, in the remaining 
part of his life. Now this consideration working 
the soul into a melting frame, brings him on his 



350 CONCERNING DEATH. 

knees, to say as the poor Publican, Lord have mer- 
cy on me a sinner ; and as the prodigal humbled, 
and sees all his rambling shifts in vain for yielding 
him that solid comfort his soul thirsted after, there- 
fore resolves to go home to his father; and although 
he may look upon him as enraged against him (for 
which the soul knew he had just cause) yet he 
goes humbling himself to his father, saying, Fath- 
er, I have sinned, &c, and am no more worthy to 
be called thy son. Now observe the success. — 
When he was yet a great way off, his father saw 
him and had compassion, and fell on his neck and 
kissed him : And further entertained him, not as a 
servant, as he humbly besought, for the humble shall 
be exalted; but as a son, and rejoiced in him, Luke 
xv. 18, 19, 20. 

The Syrians also well knew what good this hum- 
ble application was like to effect to an Israelitish 
king, 1 Kings xx. 31, 32. And if mercy be ex- 
pected from one of those kings, then much more 
may it be from the supreme, the KING of those 
kings, the ALMIGHTY who hath promised large 
graces to humble souls. 

So Esther, at the advice of Mordecai, chap. iv. 
6. Made good the proof of this humble way of 
addressing for mercy, in a case otherwise desperate; 
the success whereof was the royal sceptre holden 
forth with grace to grant even beyond the petition, 
though she knew not when she went about it, hut 
that she should perish ; yet wisely perceiving that 
she must perish, if she had not so applied, she pro- 
ceeded. 



CONCER&IKG DEATH. 861 

Thus was it with the lepers, 2 Kings iv. 4. If 
they went into the city, they should suffer famine ; 
if they stayed where they were, they must die, 
they therefore ventured among their enemies, be- 
ing sure they could not be worse than they were, 
they could but die one way or another : so when 
the soul is thus brought to see its own misery, and 
humbleth itself thoroughly, and withal is willing 
to embrace what means soever that presents so much 
as a possibility of saving it : then God shows his 
mercy, to refresh it, according to Isa. lvii. 15, 17, 
&c. To revive the spirit of the humble, and to 
revive the hearts of the contrite ones. So Psal. li 
15. Ezek. xxxiii. 11, and forward. And Christ 
comfortably invites such a poor sinner, that is wea- 
ry and heavily laden with the sense of his sins; he 
invites him to come and receive rest. And thus 
the gospel doth in general give encouragements to 
humble penitent sinners, to expect salvation from 
the eternal God, the sting, before spoken of, being 
taken away. 

Then being truly humbled under the sense of 
that miserable condition which sin hath made a 
man liable to, and being rightly desirous of salva- 
tion, that which is required of him, is only to be- 
lieve that the righteous God, who might have made 
him eternally miserable, had notwithstanding 
through his tender compassions (his mercy being 
above his works) resolved on a way to satisfy his 
justice, by acquitting the guilty, who was no way 



352 CONCERNING DEATH. 

able to pay a sufficient ransom for his own redemp- 
tion, therefore provided a price satisfactory to re- 
deem poor fallen man from the curse : concerning 
which both the prophets and apostles have witness- 
ed, as in lsai. liii. and lv. chapters, Micah v. 2. 
Hosea xi. 1. Psal. xxii. Acts i. 8, chap. x. 41. 
and more scriptures ; that price of salvation being 
Jesus Christ, of whom the angels proclaimed about 
the time of his entrance into the world, Glory be 
to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will to- 
wards men, Luke ii. 14. And the Evangelist 
John, chap. iii. 16, declares positively, That God 
dO loved the world that he gave his only begotten 
Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not 
perish, but have life eternal. 

This is the term of salvation, to wit, believing 
on his Son to be that gift and ransom, which the 
gospel generally holds forth to those who would 
know what they should do to be saved : Withal, 
There must be an obedient conversation, and that 
universally, to all God's commandments, answer- 
able too a poor souVs ability, so long as life may 
last. 



A GUIDE TO PBAYEfr 



OK, 



A FREE AND RATIONAL ACCOUNT 



OF THE 



GIFT, GRACE AND SPIRIT OF PRAYER': 



WITH PLAIN DIRECTIONS 



HOW EVERY CHRISTIAN MAY ATTAIN THEM. 



w«A*«»»^*wwwvw»»w'^>A ^ ^>^ « ^i»i^»Vi^ ^ <vy» 



BY I. WATTS, D. D* 



W»«IWWW»W»»W W VX»» ' 10 l*O^W<^^*M^V» 



Lord, teach us to pray, — Luke xi. 1. 



364 A CALL TO SINNERS;~OR, 

INTRODUCTION. 



Prayer is a word of an extensive sense in Scripture, and in- 
cludes not only a request or Petition for mercies, but it is ta- 
ken for the address of a creature on earth to God in Heaven, 
about every thing that concerns his God, his neighbor or him- 
self, in this world or the world to come. It is that converse 
which God hath allowed us to maintain with himself above, 
It is that language, wherein a creature holds correspondence 
with his Creator : And wherein the soul of a saint often gets 
near to God, is entertained with great delight, and, as it were, 
tl wells with his heavenly Father for a short season before he 
comes to Heaven. It is a glorious privilege that our Maker 
hath ghen us ; and a necessary part of that obedience which 
he hath required of us, at all times and seasons, and in every 
circumstance of life; according to those Scriptures, 1 Thess. 
v 17, Pray without ceasing. Phil, iv 6, In every thing by 
prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests 
be made known to God. Eph. vi 18, Praying always, with 
all prayer and supplication. 

Prayer is a part of Divine Worship that is required of all 
men, and is to be performed either with the voice, or only in 
the heart, and is called vocal or mental prayer. This is com- 
manded to sintle persons in their private retirements, in a 
more solemn and continued method or manner; and in the bus- 
inesses of life, by secret and sudden liftings of the soul to God. 
It belongs also to the communities of men, whether they be 
natural, as families, or civil, as Corporations, Parliaments, 
Courts, or Societies for trade snd business ; and to religious 
communities, as when persons meet on any pious design, they 
should seek their God : 'Tis required of the churches of Chris- 
tians in an especial manner, for the houve of God is the house 
of Prayer. Since therefore it is a duty of such absolute ne- 
cessity for all men, and of such universal use, 'tis fit we should 
all know how to perform it aright, that it may obtain accept- 
ance of the great God, and become a delightful and profitable 
exercise to our own souls, and to those that join with us. 

To this end I shall deliver my thoughts on thissubjectin the 
following order. 

First, I shall speak of the nature of Prayer as a duty of 
worship. 

Secondly, As it is to be performed by the gifts or abilities 
God has bestowed upon us. 

Thirdly, As it must be attended with the exercises of our 
graces. 

Fourthly, As we are assisted in it by the Spirit of God: And 

Fifthly, Conclude all with an earnest Address to Christians 
to seek after this holy skill of converse with God. 



THE NATURE OF PRATER. 865 



CHAPTER L 

THE NATURE OF PRAYER. 

In the discourse of prayer considered as a duty 
of worship required of us, that we may understand 
the whole nature of it better, let it be divided into 
its several parts; and I think they may be all inclu- 
ded in the following, namely, 

Invocation, adoration, confession, petition, 
pleading, profession, or self-dedication, thanks- 
giving, and blessing ; of each of which I shall 
speak particularly. 

SECT. I. 

OF INVOCATION. 

The First part of prayer is Invocation, or call- 
ing upon God, and it mav include in it these three 
things. 

1. A making mention of one or more of the 
names or titles of God; and thus we do as it were 
bespeak the Person to whom we pray: As you 
have abundant instances in the prayers that are de- 
livered down to us in Holy Scripture, "O Lord, 
my God, most high and most holy God and Fath- 
er. O God of Israel, that dwellest between the 
cherubims. Almighty God and everlasting King, 
Our Father which art in Heaven. O God, that 
keepest Covenant;" and sereral others 



356 ADORATION. 

2. A declaration of our Derireand Design to 
worship him. "Unto thee do we lift up our souls. 
We draw near unto thee as our God. We come 
into thy presence. We that are but dust and ashes 
take upon us to speak to thy Majesty. We bow 
ourselves before thee in humble addresses," or suteh 
like. And here it may not be amiss to mention 
briefly one or two general expressions of our own 
unworthiness. 

3. A desire of his assistance and acceptance, 
under a sense of our own insufficiency and unwor- 
thiness, in such language as this is ; "Lord, quick- 
en us to call upon thy name. Assist us by the 
Spirit in our access to thy mercy-seat. Raise our 
hearts towards thyself. Teach us to approach thee 
as becomes creatures, and do thou draw near to us 
as a God of grace. Hearken to the voice of my 
cry, my King and my God, for unto thee will 1 
pray. In the 5th Psalm, v. 2." In which words 
you have all these three parts of Invocation ex. 



•SECT. IL 

OP ADORATION. 

The second part of Prayer is Adoration, or 
honor paid to God by the creature; and it contains 
these four things. 

1. A mention of his nature as God, with the 
highest admiration and reverence: And this includes 
his most original properties and perfections, viz : 
Ins self-sufficient existence; that he is God of and 
trom himself. His unity of essence, that there i 



ADORATION, 367 

no other God besides himself. His inconceivable 
subsistence in three persons, the Father, the Son, 
and the Holy Spirit; which mystery of the Trinity 
is a most proper object of our adoration and won- 
der, since it so much surpasses our understanding 
His incomprehensible distance from all creatures, 
and his infinite superiority of Nature above them, 
seems also to claim a place here. The language 
of this part of Prayer runs thus : "thou art God, 
and there is none else, thy name alone is Jehovah, 
the most High. Who in the Heavens can be com- 
pared to the Lord, or who among the sons of the 
mighty can be likened to our God? All nations 
before thee are as nothing, and they are counted in 
thy sight less than nothing and vanity. Thou art 
the first and the last, the only true and living God,- 
thy glorious name is exalted above all blessing and 
praise." 

2. The mention of his several Attributes with 
due expressions of praise, and with the exercise of 
suitable grace and affection; as his power, his jus- 
tice, his wisdom, his sovereignty, his holiness, his 
goodness and mercy. Abundance of which sort 
of expressions you find in Scripture in those ad- 
dresses that the saints have made to God in all ages. 
"Thou art very great, O Lord, thou art clothed 
with honor and majesty. Thou art the blessed and 
only Potentate, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. 
All things are naked and open before thine eyes. — 
Thou searchest the heart of man, but how unsearch- 
able is thine understanding? and thy power is un- 



3fi8 ADORATION. 

known. Thou art of purer eyes than to behold in- 
iquity. Thy mercy endureth for ever. Thou art 
slow to anger, abundant in goodness, and thy truth 
reaches to all generations." These meditations 
are of great use in the beginning of our Prayers, to 
abase us before the throne of God, to awaken oiir 
reverence, our dependence, our faith and hope, our 
humility and our joy. 

3. The mention of his several works, of crea- 
tion, of Providence,* and of grace, with proper 
praises. For as God is glorious in himself, in his 
nature and attributes, so by the works of his hands 
hath he manifested that glory to us, and it becomes 
us to ascribe the same glory to him, i. e., to tell him 
humbly what a sense we have of the several perfec- 
tions he hath revealed in these works of his, in 
in such language as this : "Thou, Lord, hast made 
the heavens and the earth. The whole creation is 
the work of thine hands. Thourulest among the 
armies of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of 
the earth thou doest what pleases thee. Thou hast 
revealed thy goodness towards mankind, and hast 
magnified thy mercy above all thy name. Thy 
works of Nature and of grace are full of wonder, 
and sought out by all those that have pleasure in 
them." 

4. The mention of his relation to us as a Cre- 
ator, as a Father, as a Redeemer, as a King, as an 
Almighty friend, and our everlasting portion. And 
here it will not be improper to make mention of the 

lame of Christ, in and through whom alone we are 



CONFESSION. 369 

brought nigh to God, and made his children : By 
whose incarnation and atonement he becomes a 
God and Father to sinful men, and appears their 
reconciled friend. And by this means we draw 
still nearer to God, in every part of this work of 
adoration. 

When we consider his Nature, we stand afar off 
from him as creatures from a God ; for he is infin- 
itely superior to us ; When we speak of his attri- 
butes, there seems to grow a greater acquaintance 
between God and us, while we tell him that we 
have learnt something of his power, his wisdom, 
his justice and his mercy. But when we proceed 
to make mention of the several works of his hands, 
wherein he hath sensibly discovered himself to our 
understandings, we seem yet to approach nigher to 
God; and when at last we can arise to call him our 
God, from a sense of his special relation to us in 
Christ, then we gain the nearest access ; and are 
better prepared for the following parts of this wor- 
ship.' 



SECT. III. 

OF CONFESSION. 

The Third part of Prayer consists in Confession 
ivhich may also be divided into these four heads: 

1. An humbh Confession of the meanness of 
our nature in its Original; Our distance from 
God, as we are creatures : our subjection to him, 
and our constant dependence on him. "Thou, O 
Lord, art in Heaven, but we on the Earth-: our be- 
ing is but of yesterday, and our foundation is in 



360 CONFESSION. 

the dust. What is man, that thou art mindful of 
him, and the Son of Man that thou shouldest visit 
him? Man that is a worm, and the Son of Man 
that is but a worm ! ,r Tis in thee that we live, 
move and have our Being; thou withholdest thy 
breath, and we die." 

2. A Confession of our sins, both original, 
which belong to our Nature ; and actual, that have 
been found in the course of our lives. We should 
confess our sins under a sense of the guilt of them, 
as well as under the deep and mournful impressions 
of the power of sin in our hearts. We should con- 
fess the sins that we have been guilty of in thought 
as well as the iniquities of our lips and of our lives. 
Our sins of omission and sins of commission ; the 
sins of our childhood and of our riper years ; sins 
against the law of God, and sins mere particu- 
larly committed against the gospel of our Lord Je- 
sus Christ 

Sometimes it is convenient and necessary to en- 
ter into a more particular detail of our various 
faults and follies. We should mourn before God 
because our pride and vanity of mind, the violence 
of our passions, our earthly-mindedness and love 
of this world, our sensuality and indulgence of our 
flesh, our carnal security and unthankfulness under 
plentiful mercies, and our fretfulness and impa- 
tience, or sinful dejection in a time of trouble; our 
neglect of duty and want of love to God, our unbe- 
lief and hardness of heart, our slothfulness and de- 
cay in religion, the dishonors we have brought to 



CONFBSfSION. 861 

God, and all our miscarriages towards our fellow- 
creatures. And these may be aggravated on pur- 
pose to humble our souls yet more before God, by 
a reflection on their variety and their multitude.— 
How often have they been repeated even before and 
since we knew God savingly ; that we have com- 
mitted them against much light; and that we have 
sinned against much love; and that after many re- 
bukes of the Word and Providence, and many con- 
solations from the Gospel and Spirit of God. You 
find this part of Prayer very plentifully insisted and 
enlarged upon, among those examples that are left 
us in the Word of God. 

And with these Confessions we must thus bewail 
and take shame to ourselves. "We are ashamed, 
and blush to lift up our faces before thee our God, 
for our iniquities are increased over our head, and 
our trespasses grown up to the Heavens. Behold 
we are vile, what shall we answer thee? We will 
lay our hands upon our mouth, and put our mouth 
in the dust, if so there may be Hope.' 5 

3. A Confession of oar desert of punishment, 

and our unworthiness of mercy, arising from the 

sense that we have of all our aggravated sins, in 

such expressions as these: "We deserve,. O Lord, 

to be for ever cast out of thy presence, and to be 

out off from all hop- Ve de- 

fall under the curse of the law which we 

Nve broken; and to be for ever banished from the 

blessings of that Gospel which we have so long 

refused! We have sinned against so much mercy, 

R 



ffli ptnrim. 

ikkt We are no longer worthy to be called thy chil- 
dren. We are utterly unworthy of those favors 
that are promised in thy word, and which thou hast 
given tis encouragement to hope for- If thou con- 
tend with us for our transgrassions, w r e are not able 
to answer thee, O Lord, nor to make excuse for one 
of a thousand; if thou shouldst mark iniquities, O 
Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness 
with thee, there is mercy and plenteous redemp- 
tion." 

4. A Confession or humble representation of 
our wants and sorrows of every kind. The par- 
ticulars of which will fall under the next head; but 
it is necessary they should be spread before God, 
&nd poured out as it were in his presence; for God 
loves to hear us tell him, what a sense our souls 
have of our own particular necessities and troubles. 
He loves to hear us complain before him, when we 
are under any pressures from His hand, or when we 
stand in need of mercies of any kind. 

SECT. IV. 

OF PETITION. 

The Fourth part of prayer consists in Petition, 
which includes in it a desire of deliverance from 
evil, which is called deprecation, and a request of 
good things to be bestowed, which is sometimes 
called comprecation. And on both these accounts 
we must offer uj^our petitions to God for ourselves 
and our fellow-creatures. 

The evils we pray to be delivered from, are of a 



PETITION. 368 

temporal, spiritual, or eternal kind. "O Lord, take 
away the guilt of our sins by the atonement of 
thine own Son. Subdue the power of our iniqui- 
ties by thy own Spirit. Deliver us from the natu- 
ral darkness of our own minds, from the corruption 
of our hearts, and perverse tendencies of our appe- 
tites and passions. Free us from the temptations 
to which we are exposed, and the daily snares that 
attend us. We are in constant danger whilst we 
are in this life, let the watchful eye of our God be 
upon us for our defence. Deliver us from thine 
everlasting wrath, and from that eternal punishment 
that is due to our sins in hell. Save us from the 
power of our enemies in this world, and from all 
the painful evils that we have justly exposed our- 
selves to by sinning against thee." 

The good we desire to be conferred upon us is 
also of a temporal, spiritual, or eternal nature. As 
we pray for the pardon of all our iniquities for the 
sake of the great atonement, the death of our Re- 
deemer, so we beg of God the justification of our 
persons through the righteousness of his own Son, 
Jesus Christ, and our acceptance with God unto 
eternal life. We pray for the sanctification of all 
the powers of our natures by his Holy Spirit, for 
his enlightening influences, to teach us the knowl- 
edge of God in Christ Jesus, as well as to discover 
to us the evil of sin, and our danger by it. We 
pray for the consolation of the Spirit of God; and 
;hat he woulti not only work faith, and love, and 
every grace in our hearts, but give us bright and 



$64 PETITION. 

plentiful evidences of his own work, and of on* 
own interest in the love of God. We say unto 
God, "O thou that hast the hearts of all men in 
thine hand, form our hearts according to thine own 
will, and according to the image of thine own Son: 
Be thou our light and our strength, make us run in 
the ways of holiness; and let all the means of grace 
be continued to us, and be made serviceable for the 
great end for which thou hast appointed them.— 
Preserve thy gospel amongst us, and let all thy 
Providences be sanctified. Let they mercies t draw 
us nearer to thyself, as with the cords of love; and 
let the several strokes of thine afflicting hand wean 
us fron$ sin, mortify us to this world, and make us 
ready for a departure hence, whensoever thou pleas- 
est to call us. Guide us by thy counsels, and se- 
cure us by thy grace, in all our travels through this 
dangerous wilderness, and at last gave us a triumph 
*ver death, and a rich and abundant entrance into 
the kingdom of thy Son in glory. But since while 
we are here we wear these bodies of flesh about us, 
and there are many things necessary to support our 
lives, and to make them easy and comfortable; we 
entreat thou wouldst bestow these conveniences and 
refreshments upon us, so far as is consistent with 
thine own glory and the designs of thy grace. Let 
our health, our strength, and our peace be main- 
tained, and let holiness to the Lord be inscribed 
upon them all, that whatsoever we receive from 
thine hands, may be improved to thine honor, and 
am* own truest advantage ; heal our diseases, and 



PETITION. 166 

pardon our iniquities, that our souls may ever bless 
thee." 

And as we are required to offer up petitions for 
ourselves, and make our own requests known to 
God, so we are commanded to make "supplication 
for all saints," Eph. vi. 18, and to offer up "pray- 
er and intercession for all men," 1 Tim. ii. 1. And 
the word Intercession is the common name for this 
part of our petitions. In general, we must pray 
for the church of Christ, for Zion lies near to the 
heart of God, and her name is written upon the 
palms of the hands of our Redeemer: and the wel- 
fare of Zion should be much upon our hearts; we 
ought ever to have the tenderest concern for the 
whole church of God in the world : His church he 
values above kingdoms and nations ; and therefore 
if we distinguish degrees of fervency in prayer, 
we ought to plead more earnestly with God for his 
church than for any nation or kingdom ; that he 
would enlarge the borders of the dominion of Christ, 
that he would spread his Gospel among the hea- 
thens, and make the name of Christ known and 
glorious from the rising of the Sun to its going 
down : That he would call in the remainder of his 
ancient people, the Jews, and that he would bring 
the fulness of the Gentiles into his church : That 
he would pour down a more abundant measure of 
his own Spirit, to carry on his own work upon the 
earth. And we are to send up longing and earnest 
wishes to Heaven, that the Spirit may descend and 
be diffused in plentiful degrees upon churches, upon 



366 PETITION. 

ministers, upon families, and upon all the saints,*^ 
We are to pray that God would deliver his church 
from the power of persecuting enemies; that he 
would restrain the wrath of man, and suffer not the 
wioked to triumph over the righteous. We are also 
in particular to request of God mercy for this na- 
tion to which we belong ; that liberty and peace 
may be established and flourish in it ; for govern- 
ors that rule over us, in places of supreme author- 
ity or subordinate; that wisdom and faithfulness 
may be conferred upon them from Heaven, to man- 
age those affairs God hath entrusted them with on 
earth. We must pray for our friends, and these 
that are nearly related to us, that God would deliv- 
er them from all the evils they feel or fear, and be- 
stow upon all the good we wish for ourselves, here 
or hereafter. 

There is also another kind of petitions, which is 
used frepuently in the Old Testament, and th&t is 
Inprecation or a calling for vengeance and destruc- 
tion upon enemies ; but this is very seldom to be 
used under the gospel, which is a dispensation of 
love; and should never be employed against our 
personal enemies, but only against the enemies of 
Christ, and such as are irreconcileable to him.— 
Carist has taught us in his life, and given us an ex- 
ample at his death, to forgive and pray for our per- 
sonal enemies, for that is a noble singularity and 
glory of our religion. 

Here let it be observed, that when we pray for 
those things which are absolutely necessary to the 



glory of God, or to our own salvation, wo may 
use a more full and fervent importunity in prayer; 
we may say, " Lord, without the pardon of our 
sins we cannot rest satisfied ■■; without the renova- 
tion of our natures by thy grace, our souls can never 
rest easy ; without the hopes of Heaven we can 
never be at peace, and in these respects will never 
let thee go till thou bless us. For Zion's sake we 
will not hold our peace, and for the sake of thy Jie- 
ruwlem, thy glory, thy church in the world, we will 
give thee no rest till thou hast made her the joy of 
the earth/ 5 

But on the other hand, when we plead with God 
for those mercies or comforts upon which our sal- 
vation or his own glory do not necessarily depend, 
we dare not use so absolute an importunity in prayer; 
but we must learn to limit our petitions in such lan- 
guage as this* "If it be consistent with thine eter- 
nal councils, with the purposes of grace, and the 
great ends of thy glory, then bestow upon us such 
a blessing; if it may be for the true interest of our 
souls and for thine honor in the world, then l«t 
this favor be granted to us ; otherwise we would 
learn to resign ourselves to thy wiser determination, 
and say, Father, not our wills, but thine be done*" 



SECT. V. 

ON PLEADING- 

The Fifth part of prayer may be called pleading 
with God ; which, though it be not so distinct a 
part by itself, but rather belongs to the work of pe- 



868 PLEADING. 

tition ana request; yet 'tis so very large and diffu- 
sive, that it may well be separated by itself, and 
treated of distinctly. Pleading with God, or argu- 
ing our case with hint in a fervent, yet humble man- 
ner, is one part of that importunity in prayer, 
which scripture so much recommends. This is 
what all the saints of old have practised; what Job 
resolves to engage in, Job xxiii. 4; if I could get 
nearear to God, I would order my cause before 
him, and fill my mouth with arguments. This is 
what the prophet Jeremy practises, Jer. xii. 1 ; 
Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with 
thee, yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments; 
wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? We 
are not to suppose that our arguments can have any 
real influence on God's own will, and persuade him 
contrary to what he was before inclined. But as he 
condescends to talk with us after the manner of men, 
so he admits us to talk with him in the same man- 
ner too, and encourages us to plead with him as 
though he were inwardly and really moved £nd pre- 
vailed upon by our importunities. So you find 
Moses is said to have prevailed upon God for the 
preservation of his people Israel, when he seemed 
resolved upon their destruction, Exod. xxxiu 7 — 14. 
In this work of pleading with God, arguments dire 
almost infinite, but the chief of them may be redu- 
ced to these following heads. 

1. We may plead with God from the greatness 
of our wants, our dangers are our sorrows ; who* 
ther they relate to the soul or the body, to this life 



PLKABilfG. 369 

or the life to come, to our selves or those for whom 
we pray. We may draw arguments for deliverance 
from the particular Kind of afflictions that we labor 
under. " My sorrows, O Lord, are such as over- 
press me, and endanger my dishonoring of thy name 
and thy gospel. My pains and my weaknesses 
hinder me from thy service^ that I am rendered use- 
less upon earth, and a cumberer of the ground. 
They have been already of so long continuance, 
that I fear my flesh will not be able to hold out, nor 
my spirit to bear up, if thine Hand abide thus heavy 
upon me. If this sin be not subdued in me, orthat 
temptation removed : I fear I shall be turned aside 
from the paths of religion, and let go my hope." 
Thus from the kind, degree, or duration of our dif- 
ficulties, we may draw arguments for relief. 

2. The several perfections of the nature of 
God, are another head of arguments in prayer, 
" For thy mercy's sake, O Lord, save me. Thy 
loving kindness is infinite, let this infinite loving 
kindness be displayed in my salvation. Thou art 
wise, O Lord, and though mine enemies are crafty, 
thou canst disappoint their devices. And thou 
knowest how by thy wondrous counsels to turn my 
sorrows into joy. Thou canst find out a way for 
my relief, when all creatures stand afar off and say, 
that they see no way to help me. Thou art Al- 
mighty and all-sufficient. Thy power can suppress 
my adversaries at once, vanquish the Tempter, 
break the powers of darkness to pieces, release me 
from the chains of my corruptions, and bring me 



... 



370 PLEADING. 

into glorious liberty. Thou art just and righteous, 
and wilt thou let the enemy oppress forever? Thou 
art Sovereign, and all things are at thy command. 
Thou canst say to pains and diseases, go, or come; 
speak therefore the sovereign word of healing, and 
my flesh and soul shall praise thee. Thou delight- 
est in pardoning grace 5 'tis the honor of our God to 
forgive ; therefore let my iniquities be all cancelled, 
through the abundance of thy rich mercy." 

3. Another argument in pleading with God may 
be drawn from the several relations in which God 
stands unto man, particularly to his own people. 
" Lord, thou art my Creator, wilt thou not have a 
desire to the work of thine hands? Hast thou not 
made me and fashioned me, and wilt thou now des- 
troy me? Thou art my Governor and my King, to 
whom should I fly for protection but to thee, when 
the enemies of thine honor and my soul beset me 
around? Art thou not my Father? and hast thou 
not called me one of thy children? and given me a 
name and a place among thy sons and thy daugh- 
ters? Why should I look like one cast out of thy 
sight, or that belongs to the family of Satan? Are 
not the bowels of a Father with thee, and tender 
compassions? Why should one of thy poor and 
weak helpless children be neglected or forgotten? 
Art thou not my God in covenant, and the God and 
Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, by whom that 
covenant is ratified? Under that relation I would 
plead with thee for all necessary mercies." 

4. The various and particular promises of the 



PLEADING. ' 871 

covenant of grace, are another rank of arguments 
to use in prayer. " Enlighten me, O Lord, and 
pardon me, and sanctify my soul ; and bestow grace 
and glory upon me according to that word of thy 
promise on which thou hast caused me to hope. 
Remember thy word is past in Heaven, 'tis recorded 
among the articles of thy sweet covenant, that I 
must receive light and love, and strength and joy, 
and happiness ; and art thou not a faithful God to 
fulfil every one of those promises? What if heaven 
and earth must pass away? Yet thy covenant 
stands upon two immutable pillars, thy promise and 
thine oath ; and now I have fled for refuge to lay 
hold on this hope, let me have strong consolation. 
Remember the covenant made with thy Son in the 
days of eternity, and let the mercies there promised 
to all his seed be bestowed upon me according to my 
various wants." This calling to remembrance the 
covenant of God, hath been often of great efficacy 
and prevalence in the prayers of the ancient saints. 
5. The name and honor of God in the world, is 
another powerful argument. " What wilt thou do 
for thy great name, if Israel should be cut off or 
perish? Joshua vii. 9. If thy saints go down to 
the grave in multitudes, who shall praise thee m the 
land of the living? The dead cannot celebrate 
thee, nor make mention of thy name and honors, as 
I do this day." This was the pleading of Heze- 
kiah, Isaiah xxxviii. 18. And David uses the same 
language, Psalm vi. 5. For thy name's sake was 
a mighty argument ia all the ancient times of the 
church. 



872 PLEADING. 

6. Former experiences of ourselves and others, 
are another set of arguments to make use of in 
prayer. Our Lord Jesus Christ in that prophetical 
Psalm, Psalm xxii. 5, is represented as using this 
argument : " Our Fathers cried unto thee, O Lord, 
and were delivered, they trusted in thee, and they 
were not confounded ; let me be a partaker of the 
same favor whilst I cry unto thee, and make thee my 
trust. Thou hast never said to the seed of Jacob, 
Seek ye my face in vain ; and let it not be said that 
thy poor servant has now sought thy face, and has 
not found thee. Often have I received mercy in a 
way of return to prayer. Often hath my soul 
drawn near unto thee, and been comforted in the 
midst of sorrows. Often have I taken out fresh 
supplies of grace according to my need, from the 
treasures of thy grace that are in Christ ; and shall 
the door of these treasures be shut against me row? 
Shall I receive no more favors from the hand of my 
God, that has heretofore dealt them so plentifully to 
me?" Now how improper soever this sort of argu- 
ment may seem to be used in courts of princes, or 
to intreat the favor of great men, yet God loves to 
hear his own people make use of it. For though 
men are quickly weary of multiplying their boun- 
ties, yet the more we receive from God, if we hum- 
bly acknowledge it to him, the more we are like to 
receive still. 

7. The most powerful and most prevailing argu- 
ment, is the name and meditation of our Lord 
Jesus Chrht. And though there be some hints or 



PLEADING. 373 

shadows of the use of it in the Old Testament, yet 
it was never taught us in a plain and express manner 
till a little before our Savior left this world, John 
xvi. 13, 24. Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my 
name ; ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may 
be full. Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my 
name, he will give it you. This seems to be reser- 
ved for the peculiar pleasure and power of the duty 
of prayer under the gospel. We are taught to make 
mention of the name of Jesus, the only begotten 
and eternal Son of God, as a method to receive our 
biggest requests and fullest salvation. And in such 
language as this we should address the Father, — 
" Lord, let my sins be forgiven for the sake of that 
love which thou bearest thine own Son, for the sake 
of that love which thy Son beareth to thee ; for the 
sake of his humble state, when he took flesh upon 
him, that he might look like a sinner, and be made 
a sacrifice, though himself was free from Sin ; for 
the sake of his perfect and painful obedience, which 
has given complete honor to thy law ; for the sake 
of the curse which he bore, and the death which he 
suffered, which hath glorified thine authority, and 
honored thy justice more than it was possible for 
my eins to have affronted it. Remember his dying 
groans ; remember his agonies when the hour of 
darkness was upon him ; and let not the powers of 
darkness prevail over me. Remember the day when 
thou stoodest afar from thine own Son, and he cried 
out as one forsaken of God, arid let me have thine 
everlasting presence with me; let me never -be for* 
saken, since thy Son hath borne that punishment. " 



3T4 profession; or, 

Again, we may plead with God the intercession of 
Jesus our High Priest above. " Father, we would 
willingly ask thee for nothing, but what thy Son 
already asks thee for. We would willingly request 
nothing at thine hands, but what thine own Son re- 
quests before hand for us. Look upon the Lamb, 
as he had been slain, in the midst of the Throne. 
Look upon his pure and perfect righteousness, and 
that blood with which our High Priest is entered 
into the highest Heavens, and in which for ever he 
appears before thee to make intercession ; and let 
every blessing be bestowed upon me, which that 
blood did purchase, and which that great, that ii^ 
finite Petitioner pleads for at thy right hand. What, 
canst thou deny thine own Son? for he hath told 
us, that thou hearest him always. For the sake of. 
•that Son of thy love, deny us not." 



SECT. VI. 

OF PROFESSION OR SELF-DEDICATION. 

The sixth part of Prayer consist in a profession 
or Self-Dedicatio" 

This is very seldom mentioned by writers as a 
Part of Prayer ; but to me it appears so very neces- 
sary in its Nature, and so distinct from all the rest, 
that it ought to be treated of separately as well as 
any other part ; and may be divided under these four 
heads: 

1. A profession of our relation to God. And 
it is worth while sometimes for a saint to draw near 
unto God. and to tell him that he is the Lord's; 



SELF-DEDICATION. 375 

that he belongs to his family ; that he is one of his 
household ; that he stands among the number of his 
children ; that his name is written in his covenant. 
And there is a great deal of spiritual delight and 
soul satisfaction arising from such appeals to God, 
concerning our relation with him. 

2. A profession of our former transactions 
tdith God. " Lord we have given ourselves up 
unto thee, and chosen thee for our eternal portion, 
and our highest good ; we have seen the insufficiency 
of creatures to make us happy, and we have beta- 
ken ourselves to a higher hope ; we have beheld 
Christ Jesus the Savior in his perfect righteousness, 
and in his all-sufficient grace ; we have put our 
trust in him, and we have made our covenant with 
the Father, by the sacrifice of the son ; we have 
often drawn near to thee in thine ordinances ; we 
have ratified and confirmed the holy covenant at 
thy table, as well as been devoted to thee by the 
initial ordinances of baptism ; we have given up 
our names to God in his house; and we have as it 
were subscribed with our hands to be the Lord's. " 

3. A present surrender of ourselves to God> 
and a profession of the present exercise of our 
personal affections and graces towards him. And 
this is sweet language in prayer, when the soul, is 
in a right frame. " Lord, I confirm all my former 
dedications of myself to thee ; and be all my cov- 
enantings for ever ratified. Or if I did never yet 
sincerely give myself up to the Lord, I do it now 
with the greatest solemnity, and from the bottom 
of my heart ; I commit my guilty sou! into the 



376 profession; or, 

hands of Jesus my Redeemer, that he may sprinkle 
it with his atoning blood, that he may clothe it 
with his justifying righteousness, and make me (a 
vile sinner) accepted in the presence of a just and 
holy God ; I appear, O Father, in the presence of 
thy justice and holiness, clothed in the garments of 
thine own Son, and I trust thou beholdest not ini- 
quity in me to punish it. I give my soul that has 
much corruption in it by nature, and much of the 
remaining power of sin, into the hands of my Al- 
mighty Savior, that by his grace he may form all 
my powers a new ; that he may subdue every ir- 
regular appetite, and root out every disorderly pas- 
sion; that he may frame me after his own image, 
fill me with his own grace, and fit me for his own 
glory. I hope in thee, my God, for thou art my ref- 
uge, my strength, and my salvation; I love thee 
above all things; and I know I love thee. Whom 
have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon 
earth that I desire in comparison of thee : I desire 
thee with my strongest affections, and I delight in 
thee above all delights ; my soul stands in awe, and 
fears before thee ; and I rejoice to love such a God 
who is almighty, and the object of my highest rev- 
erence." 

4. A profession of our humble and holy reso- 
lutions to be the Lord's for ever. This is what 
is generally called a vow. Now, though I cannot 
encourage Christians to bind themselves in particu- 
lar instances by frequently repeated vows, and es- 
pecially in things that are in themselves indifferent; 






SELF-DEDICATTON. 377 

which oftentimes proves a dangerous snare to soulg. 
Yet we can never be too frequent, or too solemn in 
in the general surrender of our souls to God, and 
binding our souls by a vow to be the Lord's for 
ever ; to love him above all things ; to fear him, to 
hope in him, to walk in his ways, in a course of 
holy obedience, and to wait for his mercy unto eter- 
nal life. For such a vow as this is, is included in 
the nature of both the Ordinances of the gospel, 
baptism, and the Lord's Supper. Such a vow as 
this is, is comprehended almost in every act of wor- 
ship, and especially in solemn addresses to God by 
prayer. I might add, 

In the last place, that together with this profes- 
sion or self dedication to God, 'tis necessary we 
should renounce every thing that is inconsistent 
herewith, and that under each of the four preceding 
heads: " As, I am thine, O Lord, and I belong 
not to this world ; I have given myself to thee, and 
I have given myself away from sin and from the 
creature; I have renounced the world as my portion, 
and chosen the Father. I have renounced all other 
Saviors, and all my own duties and righteousnesses 
as the foundation of my interest in the favor of 
God, and chosen Christ Jesus, as my only way to 
the Father. I have renounced my own strength as 
the ground of my hope ; for my understanding is 
dark, my will is impotent, and my best affections 
are insufficient to carry me onwards to Heaven ; 1 
now again renounce dependence upon all of them,; 
that I may receive greater light and strength and 



3?8 THANKSGIVING, 

love from God. I am dead to the law, I am morti- 
fied to sin, I am crucified to the world, and all by 
the cross of Jesus my Savior. I bid Satan get him 
behind me ; I renounce him and his works ; I will 
neither fear him nor love him ; nor lay a confedera- 
cy with the men of this world, for I love my God, 
for I fear my God, in my God is my eternal help 
and hope : I will sayf what have I to do any more 
with idols? and I will banish the objects of tempta- 
tion from my sight. Thus I abandon every thing 
that would divide me from God, to whom I have 
made a surrender of myself. And should'st thou 
sree fit to scourge and correct me, O my God, I sub- 
mit to thine hand ; should'st thou deny me the par- 
ticular requests I have presented to thee, I leave my- 
self in thy hands, trusting thou wilt choose better 
for me. And because I know my own frailty of 
heart, and the inconsistency of my will, I humbly 
put all these my vows and solemn engagements into 
the hands of my Lord Jesus to fulfil them in me, 
and by me, through all the days of my infirmity, 
and this dangerous state of trial." 

SECT. VII. 

OF THANKSGIVING. 

The seventh part of prayer consists in Thanks- 
giving. To give thanks is to acknowledge the 
bounty of that hand whence we receive our bles- 
sings, and to ascribe honor and praise to the power, 
the wisdom and the goodness of God upon that ac- 
count. And this is part of that tribute which God 



THANKSGIVING. 879 

our King expects at our hands for all the favors we 
receive from him. It very ill becomes a creature 
to partake of benefits from his God, and then to 
forget his Heavenly Benefactor, and grow regardless 
of that bounty whence his comforts flow. The 
matter of our thanksgivings may be ranged under 
these two heads ; we must give thanks for those 
benefits for which we have prayed, and for those 
which God hath conferred upon us without praying 
for. 

1. These benefits, which God hath bestowed on 
us without asking, are proper to'be mentioned in 
the first place, for they are the effects of his rich 
and preventing mercy ; and how many are the bles- 
sings of his goodness with which he hath prevented 
us ! " We praise thee, O Lord, for thine original 
designs of love to fallen man ; that thou shouldst 
make a distinction between us and the angels that 
sinned. What is man that thou art thoughtful about 
his salvation ; and sufferest the angels to perish for . 
ever without remedy; that thou shouldst choose a 
certain number of the race of Adam, and give them 
into the hands of Christ before all worlds^ and 
make a covenant of grace with them in Christ Je- 
sus, that their Happiness might be secured; that 
thou shouldst reveal this mercy in various Types 
and Promises to our Fathers by the prophets, and 
that in thine own appointed Time thou shouldst 
send thy Son to take our nature upon him, and to 
redeem us by his death ? We give glory to thy jus- 
tice and to thy grace for this work of terror and 



380 THANKSGIVING. 

compassion, this work of reconciling sinners to 
thyself by the Punishment of thy son. We praise 
thee for the gospel which thou hast published to 
the world, the gospel of pardon and peace ; and 
that thou hast confirmed it by such abundant testi- 
monies, to raise and establish our faith. We give 
glory to that power that has guarded thy Gospel in 
all ages, and through ten thousand oppositions of 
Satan has delivered it down safe to our age, and 
has proclaimed the glad tidings of peace in our na- 
tion. We bless thee that thou hast built habita- 
tions for thyself amongst us, and that we should be 
born in such a land of light as this is. 'Tisa dis- 
tinguishing favor of thine, that among the works of 
thy creation we should be placed in the rank of ra- 
tional beings ; but 'tis more distinguishing goodness 
that we should be born of religious parents, under 
the general promises of grace. We. give thanks 
unto thy goodness for our preservation from many 
dangers which we could never foresee, and which 
which we could not ask thee to prevent. How in- 
finitely are we indebted to thee, O Lord, that thou 
hast not cut us off in a state of nature and sin, and 
that our portion is not at this time amongst the chil- 
dren of eternal wrath! That our education should 
be under religious care, and that we should have so 
many conveniences and comforts of life conferred 
upon us, as well as the means of grace brought neai 
to us ; and all this before we began to know thee, 
or sought any of the mercies of this life or the other 
at thine hands !" 



THANKSGIVING' 381 

2. We must give thanks for the benefits we 
have received as an answer to prayer. Whatso- 
ever blessings we have sought at the hands of God, 
demand our acknowledgments to his goodness when 
we become receivers. And here there is no need to 
enlarge in particulars, for we may look back upon 
the fourth part of prayer, which consists in petition, 
and there read the matter of our thankfulness. 
There we learn to give glory to God for our deliv- 
erance from evils temporal and spiritual, and our 
ho pes of deliverance from the evils that are eternal; 
for the communication of good for soul and body, 
and our comfortable expectation of the eternal hap- 
piness of both ; for mercies bestowed on churches, 
on nations, on our governors, on relatives and our 
friends, as well as ourselves. And we should re- 
joice in our praises, and say to the Lord, " Verily 
thou art a God that hearest prayer, and thou hast 
not despised the cry of those that sought thee; we 
ourselves are witnesses, that thou dost not bid thy 
people seek thy face in vain." 

All these our thanksgivings may be yet farther 
heightened in prayer by the consideration of the 
multitude of the mercies that we have received, of 
their greatness, and of their continuance. By the 
mention of the glory and self-sufficiency of God 
the giver, that he is happy in himself, and stands in 
no neeed of us, and yet he condescends to confer 
perpetual benefits upon us ; that he is sovereign, and 
might dispose of his favors to thousands, and leave 
us out of the number of his favorites. That we are 



382 BLESSING. 

as vile and unworthy as others, ana that our Gad 
beholds all our unworthiness, all our guilt, our re- 
peated provocations, and his past mercies abused, 
and yet he continues to have mercy upon us, and 
waits to be gracious. 

SECT. VIII. 

OF BLESSING. 

The eighth part of prayer consists in blessing 
of God, which has a distinct sense from praise or 
adoration, and is distinguished also from thanksgiv- 
ing. In Psalm cxlv. 10, it is said, All thy works 
praise thee, and thy Saints bless thee, i. e., even 
the inanimate creation, which are the works of 
God, manifest his attributes and his praises, but 
his Saints do something more, they bless his name; 
which part of worship consists in these two things. 

1. In mentioning the several attributes and 
glories of God with inward joy, satisfaction and 
pleasure. "We delight, O Lord, to see thy name 
honored in the world, and we rejoice in thy real ex- 
cellencies; we take pleasure to see thee exalted 
above all ; we triumph in the several perfections of 
thy nature, and we give thanks at the remembrance 
of thine holiness." 

Thus we rejoice and bless the Lord for what he 
is in himself, as well as for what he has done for 
us : and this is a most divine and selfish act of 
Worship. 

2. Wishing the glories of God may for ever 
continue, and rejoicing at the assurance of it. 



AMEN, OR THE CONCLUSION. 

" May the name of God be for ever blest ; may the 
kingdom, and the power, and the glory be for ever 
ascribed to him. May all generations call him 
honorable, and make his name glorious in the earth. 
To thee, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, belong 
everlasting power and honor." 



SECT. IX. 

AMEN, OR THE CONCLUSION. 

We are taught in several places of scripture to 
conclude our prayers with Amen, which is a He- 
brew word that signifies truth, or faithfulness, 
certainly, surely, &c, and it implies in it these 
four things. 

1. A belief of all that we have said concern- 
in g God and ourselves, of all our ascriptions of 
honor to God in the mention of his name, and at- 
tributes, and work, and a sensible inward persuasion 
of our own unworthiness, our wants and our sor- 
rows which we have before expressed. 

2. A wishing and desiring to obtain all that 
we have prayed for, longing after it, and looking 
for it. " Lord, let it be thus as we have said, 55 is 
the language of this little word— Amen — in the 
end of our prayers. 

3. A confirmation of all our professions, prom- 
ises, and engagements to God : It is used as the 
form of the oath of God in some places in scripture, 
verily or surely in blessing I will bless thee, Heb. 
vi. 13, 14. And it is as it were a solemn oath in 
our lips, binding ourselves to the Lord according to 



9$4t ' THE GIFT OF PRAYKR. 

the professions that we have made in the foregoing 
part of worship. 

4. It implies also the hope and sure expectation 
of the acceptance of our persons and audience 
of our prayers. For while we thus confirm on? 
dedication of ourselves to God, we also humbly lay 
claim to his accomplishment of the promises of his 
covenant, and expect and wait that he will fulfil all 
our petitions, so far as they are agreeable to our 
truest interest, and the designs of his own glory. 

CHAP. II. 

OF THE GIFT OF PRAYER. 

Having already spoken of the nature of prayer, 
and distinguished it into its several parts, I proceed 
to give some account of the gift or ability to pray. 

This holy skill of speaking to God in prayer, 
hath been usually called a Gift, and upon this ac- 
count it hath been represented by the weakneess and 
folly of some persons like the gift of miracles or 
prophecy, which are entirely the effects of divine 
inspiration wholly out of our reach, and unattaina- 
ble by our utmost endeavors. The malice of oth- 
others hath hereupon taken occasion to reproach all 
pretences to it as vain fancies and wild enthusiasm. 

But I shall attempt to give so rational an account 
of it in the following sections, and lay down such 
plain directions how to attain it with the assistance 
of the Holy Spirit, and his blessing on our own 
diligence and labor, that I hope those prejudices 



TH* GIFT OF PRAYEI, 

will be taken off, and the unjust reproach be wiped 
•way for ever. 

SECT. I, 

WHAT THE GIFT OF PRAYER IS. 

The gift of Prayer may be thus described. 

It is an ability to suit our thoughts to all the various 
parts and designs of this duty, and a readiness to ex- 
press thoughts before God in the fittest manner to profit 
our own souls and the souls of others that join with us. 

It is called a gift, partly because it was bestow* 
ed on the Apostles and primitive Christians in an 
immediate and extraordinary manner by the Spirit 
of God ; and partly because there is the ordinary 
assistance of the Spirit of God required even to the 
attainment of this holy skill of ability to pray. 

In the first propagation of the gospel it pleased 
the Spirit of God to bestow various powers and 
abilities on believers, and these were called the 
gifts of the Spirit, 1, Cor. xii. 4, 8, 9. Such 
were the gifts of preaching, of exhortation, of 
Psalmody, i.e., of making and singing of Psalms, 
of healing the sick, of speaking several tongues, 
&c. Now, though these were given to men at 
once in an extraordinary way then, and the habits 
wrought in them by immediate Divine power made 
them capable of exerting the several acts proper 
thereto on just occasions; yet these powers or abili- 
ties of speaking several tongues, of Psalmody, of 
preaching and healing, are now to be obtained 
by human diligence, with due dependence on the 
concurring blessing of God. And the same must 
be said concerning the gift or faculty of prayer. 



8W FORMS OF PRAYER, 

As the art of medicine or healing is founded on 
the knowledge of natural principles, and made up 
of several rules drawn from the nature of things, 
from reason and observation; so the art of preach- 
ing is learnt and attained by the knowledge of Di- 
vine principles, and the use of rules and directions 
for explaining and applying Divine truths; and so 
the holy skill of Prayer is built on a just knowledge 
of God and ourselves, and may be taught in as ra- 
tional a method by proper directions and rules— 
But because in a special manner we expect the aids 
of the Holy Spirit in things so serious and sacred, 
therefore the faculties of preaching and praying are 
called the gifts of the Spirit even to this day; where- 
as that word is not now-a-days applied to the art of 
medicine, or skill in the languages. 

SECT..II. 

OF FORMS OF PRAYER, OF FREE OR CONCEIVED 
PRAYER, AND PRAYING EXTEMPORE. 

The gift of prayer is one of the noblest and 
most useful in the Christian life, and therefore to be 
sought with earnest desire and diligence; and in 
order to attain it, we must avoid these two extremes. 

I. A confining ourselves entirely to pre-composed 
forms of Prayer. 

II. An entire dependence on sudden motions and 
suggestions of thought 

I. The First extreme to be be avoided is, A 
confining ourselves to set pre-composed forms of 
grayer. 



FORMS OF PRAYER. 8t7 

I grant it lawful and convenient for weaker 
Christians to use a form of Prayer, rather than not 
perform that duty at all. Christ himself seems to 
have indulged it to his disciples in their infant state 
of Christianity, Luke xi. 1, 2, &c. I grant also 
that sometimes the most improved saints may find 
their own wants aiiH desires, and the frames of their 
own hearts so happily expressed in the words of 
other men, that they cannot find better; and may 
therefore in a very pious manner use the same, es- 
pecially when they labor under a present deadness 
of spirit, and great indisposition for the duty. It 
is also evident, that many assistances may be bor- 
rowed by younger and elder Christians from forms 
of Prayer, well composed, without the use of the 
whole form as a Prayer. And if I may have leave 
to speak the language of a judicious author, that 
wrote more than forty years, I would say with him, 
"That forms may be useful, and in some cases ne- 
cessary : For, 

1. "Some, even among Christians and professors 
are so rude and ignorant, (though it may be spoken 
to their shame) that they cannot tolerably express 
their desires in Prayer ; and must such utterly neg- 
lect the duty ? Is it not better during their gross 
ignorance, to use the help of others gifts and com- 
posures, than not to pray at all? Or to utter that 
which is senseless and impious ? I speak it not to 
Tcuse their ignorance, or that they should be en- 
juraged to rest satisfied herein, but for the present 
necessity. 



9tt FORMS OF PRATER* 

3. -"Some again, though they can do it privately 
and so far as may suffice in their secret addresses to 
God ; yet when they are to pray before others, want 
either dexterity and fitness of expression, readiness 
of utterance, or confidence to use those abilities 
they have, whom yet I will not excuse from a sin? 
ful bashfulness. 

3. "It is possible that some bodily distemper, or 
sudden distraction, may befall such as are other- 
wise able, which may becloud their minds, weaken 
their memories, and dull their parts, that they may 
be unfit to express themselves in extemporary con- 
ceptions. This may happen in case of melancho- 
ly, cold palsies, or the like distempers. 

"I conclude then, that in the cases aforesaid, or 
the like, a form may be profitable and helpful. Nor 
is it a tying up the Spirit, but if conscionably used, 
may be both attended with the Spirit's assistance, 
and find acceptance with God. Yet it will not 
hence follow that any should satisfy themselves in 
such stated and stinted forms : Much less, that those 
who have praying abilities, should be enforced by 
others to rest in them. If ignorance, bashfulness, 
defect of memory, or other distemper, may render 
it excusable and necessary to some, is it fit all 
should rest in their measure ? Where then will be 
that coveting earnestly the best gifts? Or why 
should those that are excellently gifted that way be 
hindered from the use and exercise of the gift, be- 
cause others want it?" 

Thus far this worthy writer* Now though the 



FORMS OF PRAYER. 389 

use of forms in such cases be not unlawful, yet a 
perpetual confinement to them will be attended with 
such inconveniences as these. 

I . It much hinders the free exercise of our own 
thoughts and desires, which is the chief work and 
business of Prayer, viz : to express our desires to 
God: and whereas our thoughts and affections 
should direct our words, a set form of words directs 
our thoughts and affections; and while we bind our* 
selves to those words only, we damp our inward 
devotion, and prevent the holy fire from kindling 
within us; we discourage our active powers and 
passions from running out on divine subjects, and 
check the breathings of our souls heaven- ward.— 
The wise man tells us, Prov. xiv. 10, The heart 
knows its own bitterness, and a stranger intermed- 
dles not with its joy. There are secret joys, and 
unknown bitterness, which the holy soul longs to 
spread before God, and for which it cannot find any 
exact and correspondent expressions in the best of 
Prayer-books : Now must such a Christian sup- 
press all those thoughts, and forbid himself all that 
sweet conversation with his God, because it is not 
written down in the appointed form ? 

The thoughts and affections of the heart that are 
truly pious and sincere, are wrought in us by the 
Spirit of God, and if we deny them utterance be* 
cause they are not found in prayer-books, we run 
4U danger of resisting the Holy Ghost, quench- 
ing the holy Svirit, and fighting against the kind 



Q90 FORMS OV PRAYER. 

designs of God towards us, which we are so ex- 
pressly cautioned against, 1 Thes. v. 19, and which 
an humble Christian trembles to think of. 

3. A confinement to forms cramps and imprxs 
ons these powers that God hath given us for ira* 
provement and use ; it silences ournatural abilities, 
and forbids them to act; and it puts a bar upon our 
spiritual faculties, and prevents their growth. To 
satisfy ourselves with mere forms, to confine our 
selves wholly to them, and neglect to stir up and 
improve our own gifts, is one kind of spiritual 
sloth, and highly to be disapproved. 'Tis hiding 
a talent in the earth, which God hath given us on 
purpose to carry on a trade with Heaven. 'Tis an 
abuse of our knowledge of Divine things, to neg 
lect the use of it in our converse with God. 'Tis 
as if a man that had once used crutches to support 
him when he was feeble, would always use them; 
or because he has sometimes found his own thoughts 
happily expressed in conversation by another per- 
son, therefore he will assent to what that other per- 
son shall always speak, and never speak his own 
thoughts himself. 

4. It leads us into the danger of hypocrisy, an<£ 
mere lip-service. Sometimes we shall be tempted 
to express those things which are the very thought? 
of our own souls, and so use words that are not suit 
ed to our present wants, or sorrows, or requests ; 
because those words are put together, and made rea- 
dy beforehand 

5. The confinement of ourselves to a Form 



FORMS OF PRAYER. 39} 

though it is not always attended with Formality, 
and indifference, yet 'tis very apt to make our Spir- 
its cold and flat, formal and indifferent in our devo* 
tion. The frequent repetition of the same words 
doth not always awaken the same affections in our 
hearts, which perhaps they were well suited to do 
when we first heard or made use of them. When' 
we continually tread one constant road of sentences 
or track of expressions, they become like an old 
beaten path in which we daily travel, and we are 
ready to walk on without particular notice of the 
several parts of the way ; so in our daily repetition* 
of a form, we neglect due attention to the full sense 
of the words. But there is something more suited 
to awaken the attention of the mind in a conceived 
Prayer; when a Christian is making his own way 
toward God, according to the present inclination ofr 
his soul, and urgency of his present wants : and to< 
use the words of a writer lately cited, "While we 
are clothing the sense of our hearts in fit expres- 
sions, and as it were digging the matter of our pray- 
ers out of our own feelings and experiences, it must 
needs keep the heart closer at work/* 

6. The duty of Prayer is very useful to discover 
to us the frame of our own Spirits; but a constant 
use of forms will much hinder our knowledge of 
ourselves, and prevent our acquaintance with our 
own hearts, wHch is one great spring of maintain- 
ing inward religion in the power of it. Daily ob- 
servation of our own Spirits would teach us what 
our wants are, and how to frame our Prayers before 



0$9 FORMS OF PKAY2*. 

Gad; but if we tie ourselves down to the same 
words always, our own observation of our hearts 
-will be of little use, since we must speak the same 
expressions, let our hearts be how they will. As 
therefore an inward search of our souls, and inti- 
mate acquaintance with ourselves, is a means to ob- 
tain the gift of Prayer, so the exercise of the gift 
of Prayer will promote this self-acquaintance, 
which is discouraged and hindered by the restraint 
of forms* 

In the last place, I mention the most usual, most 
evident and convincing argument against perpetual 
confinement of ourselves to a form; and that is 
Because it renders our converse with God very 
imperfect; for it is not possible that the forms of 
Prayer should be composed, that are perfectly suit- 
ed to all our frames of Spirit, and fitted to all our 
occasions in the things of this life, and the life to 
come. Our circumstances are always altering in. 
this frail and mutable state. We have new sins to 
be confessed, new temptations and sorrows to be re- 
presented, new wants to be supplied. Every change 
of Providence in the affairs of a nation, a family, 
or a person, requires suitable petitions and acknowl- 
edgements. And all these can never be well provi- 
ded for in any prescribed composition. I confess 
all our concerns of soul and body may be included 
in some large and general words of a Form, which 
is no more suited to one time, or place, or condi- 
tion, than to another : but generals are cold and do 
not affect us, nor affect persons that join with u% 



FORMS OF PRAYER. 99t 

and whose case he that speaks in Prayer should re- 
present before God. It is much sweeter to our own 
souls, and to our fellow-worshippers, to have our 
fears, and doubts, and complaints, and temptations, 
and sorrows represented in most exact and parties 
lar expressions, in such language as the soul itself 
feels when the words are spoken. Now, though 
we should often meet with Prayers precomposed, 
that are fitted to express our present case, yet the 
gift of Prayer is as much better than any Form as 
a general skill in the work of preaching is to be 
preferred to any precomposed Sermons ; as a per- 
fect knowledge in the art of physic, is better than 
any number of receipts ; or as a receipt to make a 
ngiedicine, is preferable to one single medicine al- 
ready made. But he that binds himself always to 
read printed Sermons, will not arrive at the art of 
preaching: and that man that deals only in receipts 
shall never become a skillful physician; nor can the 
gift of Prayer be attained by everlasting confine- 
ments to forms. 

Perhaps it may make stronger impressions on 
some persons, and go farther towards the cure of 
their confinement to Forms, and their prejudices 
against the gift of Prayer, to hear what a Bishop 
of the Church of England has said on this matter. 

"In the use of such prescript Forms, to which a 
man hath been accustomed, he ought to be narrow- 
ly watchful over his own heart, for fear of that Zip- 
service and Formality, which in such cases we are 
more especially exposed unto. For any one so to 



FORMS OF PRAYER. 

set down and satisfy himself with his book-prayer^ 
or some prescript Form, and to go no farther, this 
were still to remain in his infancy, and not to grow 
up in his new creature. This would be, as if a 
man, who had once need of crutches, should always 
afterwards make use of them, and so necessitate 
himself to a continual impotency. Prayer by 
book, is commonly of itself something flat and 
dead, floating for the most part too much in gene- 
ralities, and not particular enough for each several 
occasion. There is not that life and vigor in it, to 
engage the affections, as when it proceeds immedi- 
ately from the soul itself, and is the natural expres- 
sion of those particulars whereof we are most sen- 
sible. 'Tis not easy to express, what a vast differ- 
ence a man may find, in respect of inward comfort 
and satisfaction, betwixt those private Prayers that 
are thus conceived from the affections, and those 
prescribed Forms which we say |by rote, or read 
out of Books."— Bishop Wilkins, in his "Gift of 
Prayer " 

II. Another extreme to be avoided by all that 
would obtain the gift of Prayer, is, a neglect of 
preparation for Prayer, and an entire dependence 
on sudden emotions and suggestions; as though we 
were to expect the perpetual impression of the Holy 
Spirit upon our minds, as the Apostles and inspired 
saints; as tho' we had reason to hope for his con- 
tinual impulses, both in the matter, and manner, 
and words of Prayer, without any forethought, or 



FORMS OF PRATER. life 

care, or premeditation of our own. 'Tis true, in- 
deed, that when a man hath premeditated the mat- 
ter of his Prayer, and the method of it never so ex- 
actly, he ought not so to confine himself, as to neg- 
lect or check any warm and pious desires that may 
arise in his heart in the midst of the duty. But 
this doth not hinder, but that 'tis lawful and proper 
by all useful means, to endeavor in general to learn 
the holy skill of Praying, and to prepare also by 
meditation, or reading, or holy conversation, for the 
particular exercise of this gift, and the performance 
of this duty. 

Some persons imagine, that if they use no Form 
they must always pray extempore, or without any 
premeditation, are ready to think all free or conceiv- 
ed Prayer is extemporary; but these things ought to 
be distinguished. 

Conceived, or free Prayer is, when we have 
not the words of our Prayer formed beforehand, to 
direct our thoughts, but we conceive the matter or, 
substance of our address to God, first in our minds, 
and then put those conceptions into such words and 
expressions as we think most proper. And this 
may be done by some work of meditation, before 
we begin to speak in Prayer; partly with regard to 
the thoughts, and partly the expressions too. 

.Extemporary Prayer is, when we, without any 
reflection or meditation beforehand, address our- 
selves to God, and speak the thoughts of our hearts, . 
as fast as we conceive them. Now this is most 
properly done in that which is called Ejaculatory 



S96 FORMS OF PRAYim. 

Prayer ', when we lift up our souls to God, ia short 
breathings of request or thanksgiving, in the midst 
of any common affairs of life. But there may be 
also some other occasions for it : viz : 

1 . I grant that in secret Prayer, there is not the 
same degree of premeditation necessary, as in pub- 
lic : for there a person takes a greater liberty to ex- 
press his thoughts, and the desires of his soul, just 
as they arise within him, which may be very sig- 
nificant to awaken and maintain his own affections 
in that duty, though perhaps they would be very im- 
proper and disagreeable in public. 

2, I grant also, that persons of better natural 
parts, of a lively temper, or ready expression, of 
great heavenly-mindedness, or such as have been 
long exercised and experienced in this work, are 
not bound to premeditate all the materials, and meth- 
od of their Prayer, in daily worship in a family ; 
nor are ministers, whose graces and talents have 
been well improved, obliged to think overall the 
substance of every public address to God before- 
hand. A short recollection of thought may supply 
iuch persons with matter for those constant returns 
of worship. Nor are Christians, who are possess- 
ed of such endowments, at any time bound to an 
equal degree of premeditation as others are. Bish- 
op Wilkins very pertinently tells us, "The propor- 
tion of gifts that a man hath received is the meas- 
ure of his work and duty in this case/* Yet upoa 
some great and solemn occasions, public and pri- 
vate, when seasons are set apart for prayer, a 



forms or PRAYII, 397 

•egularpremeditationis very useful and advantageous 
persons of the highest attainments 

3. I grant farther, that there may be several calls 
of Providence, which may demand such sudden ad- 
dresses to God, even from persons of less skill and 
experience; and they have then reason to hope for 
more especial assistance from the Spirit of God, 
while they obey the call of present and necessary 
duty. 

But I am ready to suspect that some persons, who 
are unskilled in praying, and yet cry out against 
premeditation, do indulge a degree of spiritual sloth 
that secretly prevails upon them, while they profess 
to be afraid of anything that comes near to a Form. 

The arguments that may incline and encourage 
younger Christians to prepare their thoughts for 
prayer beforehand are these. 

1. Argument. The common reason of man 
and light of nature teach us, that an affair of 
such solemnity and importance, which requires 
our utnost care to perform it well, can y t be done 
without some forethought. The skill of a Chris-* 
tian in the inward exercise of grace, is to be learn- 
ed and improved by forethought and diligence; and 
much more in the external performance of a reli- 
gious duty. Now if the light of Nature leads us 
to it, and Scripture no where forbids, why should 
we not pursue the practice? The words of Scrip- 
ture seem to encourage such a premeditation, when 
it tells us, we should "not be rash with our mouth, 
and let our heart be hasty to utter anything before 
God," Eccles. v. 2. 



398 - forms 6f prayer. 

2. Argument. That the heart should be prepar* ' 
ed for prayer, is certainly necessary. The prep- 
aration of heart is frequently spoken of in the 
word of God. Now the heart can't be prepared 
for any act of worship, without some degree of 
premeditation. What is the use of reading the 
word of God just before prayer in our families? 
Why are we so often advised to recollect the ser- 
mons we hear when we retire for prayer, but that by 
premeditation we maybe better fitted with materials 
for this duty? 

3. Argument. There can be no such thing as 
learning to pray in a regular way without it. 
The distinction of the nature of prayer into its 
several parts, adoration, confession, petition, is all 
useless, if we must not think before hand. The 
excellent rules that ministers lay down to teach us 
to pray, are mere trifling, if we must not think be- 
fore hand. If we may not consider, what our sins 
are, what our wants, and what our mercies, before 
we speak in prayer, there is no possibility of ever 
learning to perform this part of Christian worship 
with any tolerable measure of decency or profit. 
An utter aversion to think before hand (whatever 
the pretences are ) will be a most effectual bar against 
the attainment of the gift of prayer in any consid- 
erable degree. 

4. Argument. Due preparation for prayer is 
the way to serve God with our best. But- for 
younger Christians unskilled in this work, to rush 
always into the presence of God in solemn prayer, 



FORMS OF PRAYER, 399 

without due forethought, even when there is time 
allowed for it; and to pour out words before God 
art all adventures, is no sign of that high reverence 
which they owe to so awful a majesty, before whom 
angels veil their faces, who is jealous of his own 
worship, and abhors the sacrifice of fools. 

IF we utterly neglect preparation, we shall be 
ready to fall into many inconveniences. 

Sometimes we shall be constrained to make long 
and indecent stops in prayer, not knowing what to 
say next. At other times we shall be in danger of 
saying those things that are very little to the purpose 
and of wandering far from our purposed subject and 
design, which can never be acceptable to God. 
And sometimes when the mind is not regularly fur- 
nished, the natural spirits are put into a hurry, and 
we run into a confused, incoherent and imperfect 
rhapsody of words, whereby both God may be dis- 
honored, and our own edification and the edification 
of others spoiled; w r hile the spirit of God stands 
afar off from us for a season ; it may be, on purpose 
to reprove our negligence of a wise and holy care 
to learn to pray. 

Some such unhappy practices as these in the last 
age have given great offence to the pious, and been 
a stumbling block and scandal to the profane. The 
wicked and profane world have taken occasion from 
hence to throw loads of reproach on all conceived 
prayer, under the name of praying Extempore, 
and have endeavored to render all prayer without 
books and forms as odious an possible under this 



400 Foil MS OF PRAYER. 

name. The more sober and pious part of the 
church of England, that usually worship God by 
Liturgies and pre-composed forms, have been too 
ready to give ear to these reproaches, and have by 
this means been confirmed in their confinement to 
Liturgies #nd Prayer-Books; they have been hai> 
(taped thereby against attempting to seek the gift of 
prayer themselves, and been tempted to oppose apd 
cep$ure those that have attained it. No small share 
of this public scandal will be found at the door of 
those few bold, ignorant, and careless men, who 
have been guilty of such rash and thoughtless ad- 
dresses to God, under a pretence of praying by the 
spirit. 

In opposition to this practice of premeditation, 
some pious and sincere Christian may say, "I have 
now and then meditated many things which I de- 
signed to speak in prayer ; but when I came to pray, 
I have found my thoughts enlarged beyond all my 
preparations, and carried away to dwell in prayer 
upon subjects and petitions of a very different kind t 
and in a much more lively manner to express my 
thoughts than I had before conceived." Now I 
would persuade such a person to receive this divine 
assistance, not as an argument to neglect premed- 
itation for the. future, but as a reward of his dili- 
gence in preparing his heart before hand for this 
work. 

Another Christian will tell me, that sometimes 
when he has thought over many materials for hi a 
prayer before, he has found a greater confusion in 



FORMS OT PRAYER. 401 

bis mind between his former preparations and his 
present suggestions, than if he prayed in an extem- 
porary way. 

, In reply to this objection, I must confess that I 
have sometimes had the same unhappy experience. 
But I impute it to one of these three defects: 

Either my premeditation was very slight and 
imperfect , as to the matter or method ; so that I 
had not ranged the materials of my prayer in any 
settled form and order in my memory, but left them 
almost as much at uncertainty as new thoughts that 
might occur to my mind in praying. And it is 
more troublesome sometimes to mend and finish 
what is very imperfect, than to make entirely new. 

Or perhaps my premeditation had been chiejfty 
the work of my heady without so due a consulta- 
tion of the frame of my heart. I had prepared 
my head but not my heart for prayer; and then it is 
no wonder that when the heart comes to be warmly 
engaged in praying, it runs far away from the mere 
premeditations of the head ; and sometimes betwixt 
both, creates a confusion in the mind. 

3. Or it may be, my soul hath been out of 
frame, and indisposed for prayer; and then I 
would not lay the fault upon premeditation, which 
would have been as bad or worse without it. 

But where my preparation both of head and heart 
hath been carefully and wisely managed, I have had 
several experiences of the conveniency and useful- 
ness of it, especially in my younger years, and upon 
some extraordinary and solemn occasions. 



492 MATTER OF PRAYER. 

After aH, if some particular persons have con- 
scientiously, and with due diligence, attempted this 
way, and find they always pray more usefully, and 
irtore honorably, with more regularity and delight, 
by the mere preparation of the heart for this duty, 
without fixing the parts and method of their prayer 
in their memory before hand, they must follow 
those methods of devotion themselves, which they 
have found most effectual to attain the best ends; 
but not forbid the use of premeditation to others, 
whom God hath owned and approved in that way.' 

And let this be observed, that it is but a few 
Christians that attain so great a readiness and reg- 
ularity in the gift of prayer, without learning by 
premeditation ; far greater is the number of thoi* 
whose performances are very mean, for want of 
thinking beforehand. 

Having thus endeavored to secure you from these 
two dangerous extremes, viz : A perpetual confine* 
ment to forms on the one hand, and a neglect of 
all premeditation on the other; I proceed. 

In the gift of prayer we are to consider these 
five things : The matter, the method, the expres- 
sion, the voice, and the gesture. I shall treat of 
each of these at large. 



SECT. HI. 

OF THE MATTER Or PRAYER. 

First. It is necessary to furnish ourselves with 
proper matter, that we may be able to hold much 
converse with God ; to entertain our souls and 



MATTER OF PRATER. 403 

others agreeably and devoutly in worship; to assist 
the exercise of our own graces and others, by a rich 
supply of divine thoughts and desires in prayer, 
that we may not be forced to make too long and 
indecent pauses, whilst we are performing that duty; 
nor break off abruptly as soon as we have begun, 
for want of matter; nor pour out abundance of 
words to dress up narrow and scanty sense, for want 
of variety of devout thoughts. 

I shall therefore, First, propose some rules in 
order to furnish ourselves with proper matter for 
prayer ; and then lay down some directions concern- 
ing these materials of prayer, with which our soul* 
are furnished. 

Rules to furnish us with Matter, are these : 
1st Rule. Labor after a large acquaintance 
with all things that belong to religion ; for there 
is nothing that relates to religion, but may properly 
make some part of the matter of our prayer. This 
is therefore the most general advice, and the most 
universal rule that can be given in this case, let us 
daily seek after a more extensive and a more affect- 
ing knowledge of God and of ourselves. A great 
acquaintance with God in his nature, in his persons 
in his perfections, in his works, and in his word, 
will supply us with abundant furniture for invoca- 
tion, adoration, and praise, for thanksgiving and 
blessing ; and will suggest to us many arguments in 
pleading with God for mercy. An intimate ac- 
quaintance with ourselves, and a lively sense of our 
own frames of spirit, our wants, our sorrows, and 



404 -MATTER OF PRAYER 

our joys, will also supply us with proper thought! 
for confession, for petition, and for giving thanks. 
, We- should acquaint ourselves therefore with the 
word of God in a great degree; for it is there he 
reveals himself to us, and there he discovers us also 
to ourselves. Let the word of Christ dwell richly 
in you in all wisdom, that you may be furnished 
with petitions and praises. 

We should also be watchful observers of the 
dealings of God with us in every ordinance and 
in every providence, and know well the state of our 
own souls. We should observe the working of our 
hearts towards God, or toward the creature, and 
call ourselves to account often, and often examine 
our temper and our life, both in our natural, our 
civil and religious actions. For this purpose, as 
Well as upon r» any other accounts, it will be of 
great advantage to keep by us in writing some of 
the most remarkable providences of God, and in- 
stances of his anger or mercy towards us, and soma 
of our most remarkable carriages towards him, 
whether sins, or duties, or the exercises of grace. 
Such observations and remarks in our daily walking 
with God, will be a growing treasury to furnish us 
for petition and praise. This seems to be the 
meaning of those scriptures where we read of 
watching unto prayer, Eph. vi. 18, and 1 Peter iv. 
7. This will make us always ready to say some- 
thing to God in prayer, both concerning him and 
concerning ourselves. Let our judgments be con- 
stantly well stored, and our graces and our affec- 



matter or prayer; 40ft 

lions be lively, and lead us to the duty, and for the 
most part some proper matter will naturally arise, 
and flow with ease and pleasure. 

2d Rule. Let the nature of this duty of prayer, 
as divided into its several parts, be impressed upon 
your hearts, and dwell in your memories. Let 
us always remember that it contains in it these sev* 
eraknrts of worship, namely, invocation, adoration, 
fconression, petition, pleading, profession, or self- 
resignation, thanksgiving, and blessing ; which that 
we may retain the better in our Minds, may be 
summed up in these four lines, 

Call upon God, adore, oonfess, 
Petition, plead, and then declare 

You are the Lord's, give thanks and blesi f 
And let Amen confirm the prayer. 

And by a recollection of these several parts^of 
prayer, we may be assisted to go on step by step, 
and to improve in the gift of performance of this 
part of worship. 

It would tend also to improve the gift of prayer, 
if such persons as have time and capacity would 
set down all these parts of prayer as common places, 
and all the observable passages that occur in read- 
ing the Holy Scripture, or other authors; or such 
passages as we hear delivered in prayer that are 
very affecting to our souls, should be written down 
and registered under those heads. This would 
preserve such thoughts and expressions in our mem* 
ories, which have had a peculiar quickening iufli*? 
ence upon us. Bishop Wilkins, in his treatise of 



406 MATtER OF PKAYJT' 

prayerj has given us such collections of scripture, 
and Mr. Henry, in a late book, has furnished us 
with a great many more, and judiciously ranged 
under their proper subjects. 

3d Rule. Do not content yourselves merely 
with generals, but if you would be furnished with 
larger supplies of matter, descend to particulars, 
in your confessions, petitions and thanksgivings. 
Enter into a particular consideration of tho attri- 
butes, the glories, the graces, and the relations of 
God. Express your sins, your wants and your sor» 
rows, with a particular sense of the mournful cir- 
cumstances that attend them ; it will enlarge youi 
hearts with prayer and humiliation, if you confess 
the aggravations that increase the guilt of your sins, 
viz : Whether they have been committed against 
knowledge, against the warnings of conscience, &c M 
it will furnish you with large matter for thankful- 
ness, if you run over the exalting circumstances of 
your mercies and comforts, viz: That they sre 
great, and spiritual, and eternal, as well as tempo- 
ral ; that they were granted before you sought them, 
or as soon as asked, &c. And let your petitions 
and your thanksgivings in a special manner be 
suited to the place and circumstances of yourselves, 
and those that you pray with, and those that yon 
pray for. 

l\ Our burdens, our cares, our wants, and sins are 
many ; so are our mercies also, and our hopes, so 
are the attributes of our God, his promises and his 
graces; if we open our mouths wide, he will fill 



MATTER OF PRAYER. 481 

and satisfy us with good things, according to hi* 
word. If generals were sufficient for us, one very 
short form would make all others needless ; it would 
be enough to express ourselves in this manner to 
God. " O Lord, thou art great and good, but we 
are vile sinners, give us all the mercies we stand in 
need of for time and for eternity, for the sake of Je- 
sus Christ ; and through Him accept all our thanks- 
givings for whatsoever we have and hope for. To 
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be eternal glory. 
Amen. 

This is a most general and comprehensive prayer, 
and includes in it every thing necessary. But there 
is no Christian can satisfy his soul, to go from day 
to day to the mercy seat, and say nothing else to 
God but this. A saint in a right frame loves to 
pour out his soul before God in a hundred particu- 
lars ; and God expects to see his children sensibly 
affected with their own special wants and his pecu- 
liar mercies, and to take notice of the lesser, as well 
as of the more considerable circumstances of them. 
Let us not be straightened in ourselves then, for the 
hand of God and his heart are not straightened. 
Our Lord Jesus bids us ask, and promises it shall 
be given, Matt. vii. 7. The Apostle Paul bids us 
in every thing by prayer and supplication to make 
known our requests to God, Piiil. iv. 6. And the 
Apostle James tells us, we receive not, because we 
ask not, Jamewv. 2. 

4th Rule. In order to furnish our minds with 
matter for prayer, it is very convenient at solemn 



408 MATTER OF PRAYER. 

seasons of worship to read some part of the word 
of God, or some spiritual treatise written by holy 
men, or to converse with Fellow Christians about 
divine things, or to spend some time in recollection 
or meditation of things that belong to religion* 
This will not only supply us with divine matter, but 
will compose our thoughts to a solemnity. Just 
-before we engage in that work, we should be absent 
a little from the world, that our spirits maybe 
freer for converse with God ; we may borrow mat* 
ter for prayer from the word which we read, froto 
inward reflections of our own souls, as well as from 
holy conferences ; and many a saint hath found this 
true, that while he mused, the fire burnt within 
him, Psalm xxxix. 3 ; and while we speak to men 
about the affairs of religion and inward piety, we 
shall certainly find something to say to God. 

6th Rule. If we find our hearts, after all, very 
barren, and hardly know how to frame a prayer be* 
fore God of ourselves, it has been oftentimes useful 
to take a book in our hand, wherein are contained 
some spiritual meditations in a petitionary form, 
some devout reflections, or excellent patterns of 
prayer; and above all, the Psalms of David, some 
of the prophecies of Isaiah, some chapters in the 
gospels, or any of the epistles. Thus we may lift 
up our hearts to God in secret, in short requests, 
adorations or thanksgivings, according as the verses 
or paragraphs we read are suited to the case of our 
own souls. This has obtained the name of tnixt 
prayer ; of which there is a farther account under 
the fifth head of the last chapter. 



MATTEL of prayer*. 40H 

This many Christians have experienced as a very 
agreeable help, and of great advantage in their se- 
cret retirement ; that when they could not of them- 
selves speak a Prayer to God, they could yet inter- 
line what they read with holy breathings toward 
God with fervent petitions; and by this means they 
Have found their souls warmed, and oftentimes in 
the sight of God have performed this duty more 
agreeably in this method than other persons of a 
larger and more extensive gift with great furniture 
of matter, and much fluency of language. Nor 
can I disapprove of what Bishop Wilkins says con- 
cerning secret prayer, viz: " That 'tis not always 
necessary here that a man should still keep on in a 
continued frame of speech ; but in private devo- 
tions a man may take a greater freedom both for 
his phrase and matter: he may sometimes be at a 
stand, and make a pause, there may be intermissions 
and blank spaces in respect of speech, wherein by 
meditation he may recover new matter to continue 
fn this duty." 

6th Rule. It you find your heart so very dry 
and unaffected with the things of religion, that you 
can say nothing at all to God in prayer, that you 
have no divine matter occurs to your thoughts, go 
and fall doxvn humbly before God, and tell him 
with a grievous complaint, that you can say noth- 
ing to him. that you can do nothing but groan and 
cry before him; go and tell him, that without his 
Spirit you cannot speak one expression, that without 
immediate assistance from his grace, you cannot 



410 MATTER OF FRAYE** 

proceed in this worship; tell him humbly, that he 
must lose a morning or on evening sacrifice, if he 
condescend not to send down fire from Heaven up- 
on the Altar. Plead with him earnestly for his 
own spirit, if it be but in the language of sighs and 
tears ; beg that he would never suffer your heart to 
foe so hard, nor your soul to be so empty of divine 
things : that he would not only now, but at all times, 
furnish you for so glorious a w r ork as this of con- 
verse with himself; and God knows the mind of 
his own spirit^ and he hears those groanings that 
cannot be titter'd, and he understands their lan- 
guage, when the soul is as it were imprisoned, and 
shut up that it cannot vent itself; our heavenly 
Father hears the groans of the prisoner, Psalm cih 
20. And there h^th been glorious communion 
maintained with God before the end of that season 
of worship, when at the beginning of it the saint 
could say nothing else but, Lord, I cannot pray. 

Let it be noted here, that when there is such a 
heaviness and deadness upon the spirit, such a bold- 
ness or distraction in this worship, and such an 
averseness and reluctance in the mind, it ought to 
be a matter of humiliation, and deep self-abasement 
before God; especially when at any time we are 
sensible that 'tis owing to our negligence, or to 
some late guilt brought upon the conscience. Earn- 
estly we should beg pardon for it, and power against 
it ; and as Bishop Wilkins says, " What we want 
in the degrees of our duty, w r e should be sure to 
make up in humility, and this will be the most 



MATTE* OF PftAYBH* 411 

proper improvement of our failings, when we can 
strengthen ourselves by our very infirmities. 35 

I proceed now to lay down some directions con- 
cerning the matter of our prayers, how to manage 
it right. 

Direct. 1. Do not think it absolutely necesst 
ry to insist upon all the parts of prayer in every 
address to God, though in our stated and solemn 
prayers there are few of them that can be well left 
Dtit. \yhat we om it a * one time, we may perhaps 
pursue at another with more lively affection, that so 
we may fulfil all our errands at the throne of grace. 

But let us be sure to insist most upon those things 
which are warmest in our own hearts, especially in 
secret; and this is a good advice, even in social 
prayers, when those things which we are deeply 
affected with, are such as the company that joins 
with us may properly be concerned in too. Also 
let those parts of prayer have the largest share in 
performance, for which our spirit is best prepared, 
and with which it is most sensibly imprest at the 
present season ; whether it be adoration, petition, 
confession or thanksgiving. This will not only 
furnish us with matter, but will keep our spirits 
lively in the work, and will be the best means to 
affect those that join with us, and to call their 
graces into exercise. Those things indeed that our 
fellow-worshippers cannot be concerned in, are bet- 
ter laid aside till we come to speak to God alone. 

Direct. 2. Suit the matter of your prayer to 
the special occasion of each particular duty, to the 



4jB matter op prayer 

circumstances of the time, place, and persons, with, 
and for whom you pray. This will be another 
spring of matter, and will direct you to the choice 
of proper thoughts and language for every part of 
prayer. 

1. The Time. If it be morning, then we adore 
God as the watchful Shepherd of Israel, that 
slumbers not, nor sleeps. Then we confess our 
inability to have defended ourselves through all the 
hours of darkness, while nature and our active 
powers lie as it were useless and dead : then we give 
thanks to him, that he hath secured us from the 
spirits of darkness, and given us rest in measure, 
and raised us in peace ; I laid me down and slept, 
with comfort ; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me, 
Psal. iii. 5. Then we petition for divine counsel 
in all the affairs of the day, and the presence of 
God with us, through all the cares, business, dan- 
gers and duties of it. 

In the evening we give thanks to God for the mer- 
cies of the day, for which we offered our petitions 
in the morning: We confess the sins and follies of 
the day, and humble our souls before God ; we pe- 
tition for proper mercies the succeeding night ; with 
expressions of adoration, confession, and self-re- 
signation, suited to the time, Psal. iv. 8. I will 
lie down in peace, O Lord, and sleep; for thou 
alone makest me to dwell in safety. 

Thus when w r e pray before or'after meat : thus 
on the Lord's day, or our common days of business; 
in a time of war or peace ; a season of public or 



MATTER OF PRAYER. 4U 

private rejoicing; a day of trouble and humilia- 
tion; let the several expressions of our prayer, in 
the various parts of it, be suited to the particular 
season. 

2. The place, and the persons. If in our secret 
retirement, then we adore God in this language : 
i( Lord God, who seest in secret, who knowest 
the way that I take, thou hast commanded that thy 
children should seek thee in their closets, and thou 
hast promised to reward them openly." Here also 
we ought to confess our more particular sins, which 
the world knows not, and pour out our whole souls 
before God, with great freedom and plainness : tell 
him all our follies, our infirmities, our joys and sor- 
rows ; our brightest hopes, and our most gloomy 
and dismal fears, and all the inward working of 
our hearts, either towards himself, or towards the 
creatures. Then we converse with God aright in 
prayer, when w r e, as it were, maintain a divine 
friendship with him in secret, and in our humble 
address hold correspondence with him as our friendly 
and condescending friend. 

'When we pray in a family, the matter must be 
suited to the circumstances of the household in con- 
fession of family sins, petitions and thanksgivings 
for family mercies ; whether those with whom we 
live are sick or in health; whether they are in dis- 
tress or in peace ; whether fixed in their habita- 
tions, or removing : and our language to God ought 
to be suited to this variety of conditions. 

If we pray among a select society of Christians, 



414 MATTER OF PRAYER. 

we draw near unto God with holy boldness, some* 
thing like what we use in our duties of secret wor- 
ship ; we have reason to take more freedom among 
those that are fellow-saints, and whose hearts have 
felt many of the sa,me workings of our own. Then 
when our faith is lively, we should give thanks to 
God for our election in Christ Jesys, for the atone- 
ment and righteousness of the Son of God, in 
which we humbly hope to have an interest; for the 
sanctifying work of his own spirit upon our hearts; 
for our expectations of eternal glory ; and by ex- 
pressing the joys of our faith to God, we may often 
be made a means, in the hands of the Holy Spirit, 
to raise the faith and joy of others. 

In public worship, or family devotions, where 
saints and sinners are present, a minister, or a 
Christian that speaks in prayers, should consider the 
circumstances of the whole congregation, or family, 
and plead for suitable mercies. But I think he 
should not be ashamed to express his faith and 
hope when he speaks to God. where there are many 
to join with him in that holy language, though every 
single hearer cannot heartily join and consent.— 
Perhaps this may be a way to make unconverted 
persons, that are present, blush, and be ashamed, 
and be inwardly grieved ; that they are forced to 
leave out many of the expressions of prayer used 
by the minister, and are convinced in themselves, 
and confounded, because they cannot join in the 
same language of faith and hope, joy and thankful* 
ness. For it is not necessary that every worship- 
per should lift up. his soul to God according to every. 



MATTER OF PRAYEfU 415 

-sentence spoken in social prayer, but onty such as 
&re suited to his own case and state, and such as 
he can sincerely speak to God himself, 

Direct. 5. Do not affect to pray long^ for the 
sake of length* or to stretch out your matter by la- 
bor and toil of thought, beyond the furniture of 
your own spirit- God is not the more pleased with 
prayers, merely because they are long, nor are 
Christians ever the more ediiied. It. is much bet- 
ter to make up by the frequency of our devotions, 
what we want in the length of them, when we feel 
our spirits dry and our hearts straightened. We 
may also cry to God for the aid of his own holy 
spirit, even in the middle of our prayer, to carry us 
forward in that work: but every man is not fit to 
pray long. God has bestowed a variety of natural, 
as well as spiritual talents and gifts upon men; nor 
is the best Christian, or a saint of the greatest gifts/ 
always fit for long prayers ; for hereby he may fall 
into many inconveniences. 

The inconveniences of affected length in prayer, 
are these : 

1 . Sometimes a person is betrayed by an affectation 
of long prayers, into crude, rash, and unseemly 
txpressions* in the presence of God ; as are un- 
worthy of his divine majesty, and unbecoming our 
meanness : sometimes he is forced into impertinent 
digressions, and wanders away from the subject in 
hand, till Lis thoughts again recover themselves; 
and the spiritual worship is hereby .hindered and 
corrupted. We shall rather therefore take the ad- 
vice of Solomon upon this account, Eccies. v. 2. 



£16 MATTER OF PRAYE*. 

Be not rasfi (o utter things before God ; God is in 
'Heaven, -\nd then upon earth, therefore let thy 
words be few. 

2. We are tempted hereby to tautologies, to say 
the same things over and over again, which our 
Savior highly blames, Matth. vi. 7. When ye 
pray, use" not vain repetitions, as the Heathens do, 
for they think they shall be heard for their much 
speaking. Sometimes indeed in the midst of our 
warm affections in prayers, we are delightfully con- 
strained to a repetition of the same words through 
mere fervency of spirit ; and there are instances of 
it in Scripture : but for the most part our repetitions 
are such as evidence not the fervency, but the bar- 
renness of our minds, and the slightness of our 
frame. 

3. Again, we shall be in danger, through an af- 
fectation of length, of tiring those that join tvith 
us ; especially when a prayer is drawn out to many 
words, with much dullness and deadness of spirit, 
and without an agreeable variety of thought. I 
confess, when the spirit is poured in plentiful de- 
grees upon men, and upon some extraordinary oc- 
casions persons have continued for an hour or two 
together, with a delightful variety of matter and 
expression, and instead of toil and labor to hold on, 
they found it difficult to break off; their souls have 
been all the while near to God, and they have held 
the attention of those that join with them, and kept 
their devotion warm. Our fathers have Seen and 
folt it ; but that spirit is much departed in our day \ 



MATTER Or PRATER- 417 

and there are seldom found amongst us any great 
lengths of prayer, with equal affection and devotion, 
maintained either in ourselves or others, through so 
long a duty. 

4. We are tempted aiso sometimes by this means, 
to exceed the season that is allotted for us in 
prayer, especially where others are to succeed in 
the same, work ; or else we intrench, it may be, upon 
other parts of worship that are to follow; hereby 
some of our fellow-worshippers are made uneasy ; 
and when persons are under a necessary engage- 
ment to be elsewhere by an appointed time, or to 
be engaged in other duties, the latter part of their 
devotion is generally spoiled. It may be remarked 
here, that even when Jacob wrestled with the Angel, 
he w r as required to let him go for it was break of 
day, Gen. xxxii. 26. As we must not make one 
duty to thrust out another, so neither should we 
manage any duty so as to make it a hard task to our- 
selves, or a toil to others, but a pleasure and spirit- 
ual entertainment to both. 

4. I might add, in the last place, that by this ex- 
cessive affectation of length in prayer without aa 
equal degree of the spirit of prayer and lively de- 
votion, some imprudent Christians have given too 
much occasion to the profane scoffers of the agey 
and hereby the wicked of the earth have rendered 
these methods of converse with God ridiculous 
among their own company, and have exposed and 
and reproached the gift and spirit of prayer, because 



418 MATTER Or f»*AYER. 

of our irregular performance of that part of wor» 
ship : whereas when the spirit of God by his own 
immediate and uncommon influences draws out the 
heart to continue in prayer, these inconveniences 
will not follow. 

Therefore while I am discouraging young Chris- 
tians from that affectation of long prayers, which 
arises from an ostentation of their parts, from a 
superstitious hope of pleasing God better by say- 
ing many words, or from a trifling frame of spirit; 
I would not have my readers imagine that the short- 
est prayers are always the best. Our sinful natures 
are too ready to put off God in secret, or in the 
family, with a few minutes worship, from mere 
sloth and weariness of holy things; which is equally 
to be blamed : for hereby we omit a great part of 
the necessary work of prayer in confessions,, peti- 
tions, pleadings for mercy, or thanksgivings. Nor 
•*v , > ,'ijt that prayer in public assemblies should 
be so sLoft, as though the only design of it were a 
mere preface before the sermon, or a benediction 
after it. Whereas social prayer is one considera- 
ble part (if not the chief duty) of public worship; 
and we ought generally to continue so long in it, as 
to run through the most necessary and important 
purposes of a social address to the throne of grace. 
Christian prudence will teach us to determine the 
length of our prayers agreeably to the occasion and 
present circumstances, and according to the measure 
of our own ability fortius work. 



MMHOD'tfr PRAYM. 41t 

SECT. IV. 

OP THK METHOD OF PRAYER. 

I proceed now to the second thing to be consid- 
ered in the gift of prayer and that is method. 

Method is necessary to guide our thoughts, to 
regulate our expressions, and dispose of the seve- 
ral parts of prayer in such an order as is most 
easy to be understood by those that join with us, 
and most proper to excite and maintain our own 
devotion and theirs. Though there is not a ne- 
cessity of the same just and exact regularity here, 
as in preaching the word, yet a well-regulated 
prayer is most agreeable to men, honorable in the 
sight of the world, and not at all the less pleasing 
to God. The Spirit of God, when he is poured 
out as a spirit of prayer in the most glorious meas- 
ures, doth not eontradict the rules of a natural and 
reasonable method, although his methods may have 
infinite variety in them. 

Some method may \ye used m order to secure us 
from confusion, that our thoughts may not be ill 
sorted, or mingled and huddled together in a tumuW 
tu^ry and unseemly manner. This will be of use 
ako to prevent tautologies or repetitions of the same 
thing, when each part of prayer is disposed into its 
proper place : this will guard us against roving di- 
gressions, when we have ranged our thoughts into 
order throughout every step of our prayer: our 
judgment inters what sort of matter properly and 
naturally follows that which we are at present 
sneaking : so that there is no need to fill up any 



M»?«OX> OF SRAVM* 

empty spaces with matter that is riot proper, or not 
suited to the purpose. Those persons that profess 
to pray without observing any method at all, if they 
are very acceptable and affecting to others in their 
gift, do certainly use a secret and a natural method, 
and proper connections of one thing with another, 
though they themselves have not laid down any rule 
to themselves for it, nor taken notice of the order of 
their own prayers. 

The general Rule of method in Prayer, which I 
would recommend you are these three. 

Rule 1. Let the general and the particular 
heads in grayer be well distinguished, and usual- 
ly ht generals be mentioned first, and particulars 
follow: as for example, in Adoration we acknowl- 
edge, that God is all over glorious in his nature, 
self-sufficient and all-sufficient, and we mention this 
with the deepest reverence and universal abasement 
of soul; and then we descend to praise him for his 
particular attributes of power, wisdom, goodness, 
&c, and exercise our particular graces accordingly. 
So in Confession, we first acknowledge ourselves 
vile sinners, corrupt by Nature, and of the same 
sinful mass with the rest of mankind, and then we 
confess our particular iniquities, and our especial 
guilt. So in our Petitions, we pray first for the 
churches of Christ all over the world, and his his- 
tory and his gospel throughout the earth, and then 
we petition for the churches in this nation, in this 
city, or that particular church of Christ to which 
we belong. 



METHOD OF PKAYER. 421 

Sometimes indeed there is a beauty also in sum- 
ming up all the particulars at last in one general; 
as when we have praised God for his several per- 
fections to the utmost of our capacity, we cry out, 
"Lord, thou art exalted above all our praises; thou 
art altogether great and glorious." Or, when we 
have confessed several particular sins, we fall down 
before God, as persons that are all over defiled and 
guilty. When we have petitioned for particular 
mercies, we then ask that God who is able to do for 
us above what we can ask or think, that he would 
bestow all other comforts, and every blessing that 
he knows needful for us. But still this rule must be 
observed, that general and particular heads ought to 
be so distinguished, as to make our method of pray- 
er natural and agreeable. 

Rule 2. Iiei things of the same kind, for the 
most pari be put together in prayer. We should 
not run from one part to another, by starts and sud- 
den wild thoughts, and then return often to the same 
part again, going backward and fonrud in confu- 
sion: this bewilders the mind of hi n that prays, 
disgusts our fellow-worshippers, and injures their 
devotion. This will lead us into vain repetitions, 
and we snail lose ourselves in the work. 

Yet I would give this limitation, that sometimes 
the same matter may come in naturally , under 
two or three parts of prayer, and be properly dis- 
posed of in two or three places by a judicious wor- 
shipper. As the mention of some of the attributes 
of God under the head of Adoration, where we 



422 METHOD OF FKAYEIU 

praise him for his own perfections : and under the 
head of Pleading for Mercy, when we use his pow- 
er, his wisdom, or his goodness, as an argument to 
enforce our petitions; and under the head of Thanks- 
giving also, when we bless hirn for the benefits that 
proceed from his goodness, his power or wisdom : 
So in the beginning of a prayer in our Invocation 
of God, we put in a sentence or two of Confes- 
sion of our unworthiness, and of Petition for di- 
vine assistance : So toward the conclusion of pray- 
er, 'tis not amiss to use a sentence or two consist- 
ing of such matter as may leave a suitable impres- 
sion upon our minds, though perhaps something of 
the same matter may have been mentioned : as to 
ask forgiveness of all the imperfections of 'our Holy 
things : to entreat that God would hear all our re- 
quests in the name of our Lord Jesus : to recom- 
mend our prayers into the hands of our Redeemer, 
our great high-priest, and to commit our whole lives 
to the conduct of divine grace, until we are brought 
safe to glory. But then all this must be done with 
such a vasiety of expression, and with some proper 
connections, as will render it agreeable in itself, 
and will entertain the minds of those that join with 
us, and give them delight rather than hinder their 
devotion. 

Rule 3. Let those things in every part of pray- 
er, which are the proper objects of our judgment j 
be first mentioned, and then those that influence 
and move our affections ; not that we should fol- 
low such a manner of prayer as is more like preach-* 
Ing, as some imprudently have done, speaking many 



MRTHO!> OF PHAYER. 423 

Divine truths without the form or air of praying: 
it is a very improper custom, which some oersons 
have taken up and indulged, when Divine truths 
come to be mentioned in prayer, they run great 
lengths in a doctrinal way; yet there is occasion 
frequently in prayer, under the several parts of it, 
for fhe recollecting of divine truths, and these lay 
a proper foundation for warm and pathetical ex- 
pressions to follow. As, "O Lord, thou art good, 
and thou dost good; why should I continue so long 
without partaking of thy goodness? My sins are 
great, ?tid my iniquities have many aggravations; 
O that I might mourn for them before thee in se- 
cret ! O that I could pour out my soul before thee 
in sorrow, because of multiplied offences V y Thus 
let the language of affection follow the language of 
our judgment, for this is the most rational and nat- 
ural method. 

Having laid down these general rules, the best 
particular method I can direct you to, is, that di- 
vision of the parts of prayer mentioned in the fore- 
going chapter. I know not a more natural order of 
things than this is. To begin with Invocation, or 
calling upon God; then proceed to adore that God 
whom we invoke, because of his various glories ; 
we are then * Uurally led to the work of Confession 
considering what little contemptible creatures we 
are in the presence of so adorable a God, and to 
humble ourselves, because of our abounding sins, 
and our many necessities: ^hen we have given 
praise to a God of such holine ss, and having spread 



424 METHOB OF PRAYBR. 

our wants before God, petitions for mercy natural- 
ly follow, arid pleading with such Divine arguments 
as the Spirit and the Word of God put into our 
mouths, should accompany our requests; after all, 
we resign ourselves into the hands of God, and ex- 
press our self-dedication to Him ; then we recollect 
the mercies that we have received, and out of grat- 
itude pay him our tribute of honor and thanks — 
And as he Is glorious in himself, and glorious in 
his works of power and grace, so we bless him, and 
ascribe everlasting snow to him. 

I cannot but think it a very useful thing fo| young 
beginners in the work of prayer, to remember all 
these heads in their order, to dispose of their 
thoughts and desires before God in this method, 
proceeding regularly from one part to another.— 
And as this must needs be useful, to assist and teach 
us to pray in public, so sometimes in our secret re- 
tirements it may not be improper to pursue the 
same practice. 

Yet it must be granted, there is no necessity of 
confining ourselves to this, or to any other set meth- 
od, no, more than there is of confining ourselves to 
* form in prayer. 

Sometimes the mind is so divinely full of one 
particular part of prayer, perhaps of thanksgiving 
or of self-resignation^ that high expressions of 
gratitude, and of devoting ourselves to God, break 
out first. 

"Lord, I am come to devote myself to thee in an 
everlasting covenant, I am thine through thy grace, 



■ etho z> o r pka rassi 426 

and through thy grace I will be thine for ever." 
Or thus, "Blessed be thy name, O Lord God Al- 
mighty, for thine abundant benefits, that fill my 
soul with the sense of them, for thou hast pardoned 
Jill my iniquities, and healed all my diseases." 

Sometimes, even, in the beginning of a prayer* 
when we are insisting on one of the first parts of 
it, we receive a Divine hint from the Spirit of God, 
that carries away our thoughts and our whole souls 
with warm affection into another part that is of a 
very different kind, and that usually perhaps comes 
in near the conclusion: and when the Spirit of 
God thus leads us, and our souls are in a very de- 
vout frame, we are not to quench the Spirit of God, 
in order to tie ourselves to any set rules of pre- 
scribed method. 

, There is no necessity that persons of great tal- 
ents, of divine affections, of much converse with 
God, and that have attained to a good degree of 
this gift by long exercise, should bind themselves 
to any one certain method of prayer. For we find 
the prayers recorded in Holy Scripture are very va- 
rious in the order and disposition of them, as the 
Spirit of God and the Divine affections of those 
saints, led and guided them : but still there is 
some method observed, and may be traced and de- 
monstrated. 

I am persuaded, that if young Christians did not 
give themselves up, in their first essays of prayer, 
to a loose and negligent habit of speaking every 
thing that comes uppermost, but attempted to lea-rn 



426 EXPRESSION IK PRAYER. 

this holy skill by a recollection of the several parts 
of prayer, and disposing their thoughts into this 
method, there would be great numbers in our church 
es that would have arrived at a good degree of th€ 
gift of prayer, and be capable afterwards of giving 
a more glorious and unbounded loose to their souls 
without breaking the rules of just and natural moth* 
od; and that to the great edification of our churches 
as well as of their own families. 



SECT. V. 

OF EXPRESSION. IN PitAYER. 

The Third thing that relates to the gift of prayer, 
is expression 

Though prayer be the proper work of the heart,- 
yet in this present state, in secret as well as in social 
prayer, the language of the lips is an excellent aid 
in this part of worship. A person indeed may prajr 
heartily and effectually, and yet make use of no 
w r ords. Sometimes the desires of the heart maybe 
too big to be expressed when the spirit of God is 
with us in plentiful operations, and assists us to 
plead with sighs and groans which cannot be uttered, 
Kom. viii. 26. Persons that are dumb may think 
over their wants, and raise their souls to God in 
longing desires and wishes for grace in a time of 
need. Nor is there any necessity of using lan- 
guage upon God's account, for he knows the desires 
of our hearts, and our most secret breathings to- 
wards him. He that hears without ears, understands 
us without our words. Yet as language is of abso- 
lute necessity in social prayer, that others may join 



EXPRESSION IN PRAYER. 487 

with us in our addresses to God ; so tor the most 
part we find it necessary in secret too. For there 
are few persons of so steady and fixed a power of 
meditation, as to maintain their devotion warm, and 
to converse with God, or with themselves profitably, 
without words. 

Expressions are useful, not only to dress our 
thoughts, but sometimes to form and shape, and 
perfect the ideas and affections of our minds. The 
use of words makes us doubly sensible of the things 
we conceive. They serve to awaken the holy pas- 
sions of the soul as well as to express them. Our 
expressions sometimes follow and reveal the warmer 
motions of the heart, and sometimes they are dicta- 
ted by the judgment, and are a means to warm the 
heart, and excite those holy motions. They fix and 
engage all our powers in religion and worship, and 
they serve to regulate as well as to increase our de- 
votion. We are bid to take unto us words, and turn 
to the Lord, and say unto him, Take away all ini- 
quity, and receive us graciously, Hosea xiv. 2. 
And in the Psalms of David, we often read of his 
crying to the Lord with his voice, and making sup- 
plication with his tongue, when the matter of his 
prayer is such, that we have abundant reason to be- 
lieve that it was performed in secret. 

Here I shall first lay down some directions how 
to attain a rich treasure of expression in prayer. 
And, secondly, give several rules about the choice 
and use of words and expressions. 

The directions to attain a treasure of expression, 
are these : 



*fiO/6 EXPRESSION IN PMYtR. 

1 Direci. 1. Besides the general acquaintance 
mih God and with yourselves, that was prescribed 
under a former head. Labor after the fresh, par- 
ticular and lively sense of the greatness and grace 
*of God, and of your oivn iv ants, and sins, and 
mercies, whenever y oa come to pray* This will 
famish yo:i with abundance of proper expressions. 
The passions of the mind, when they are moved, dcj 
mightily help the tongue. They fill the mouth 
with arguments. They give a natural eloquence to 
those who know not any rules of art ; and they 
almost constrain the dumb to speak. There is a 
remarkable instance of this in ancient history, when 
Atys, the son of Croesus the king, who was dumb 
from his childhood, saw his father ready to be slain, 
the violence of his passion broke the bonds where- 
with his tongue was tied, and he cried out to save 
-him. Beggars that have a pinching sense of hunger 
and cold, find out variety of expressions to tell us 
their wants, and to plead for relief. Let our spir- 
itual senses therefore be always awake and lively,, 
and our affections always warm, and lead the duty; 
then words will follow in a greater or less degree. 
Direct. 2. Treasure up such expressions espe- 
cially as you read in scripture, and such as you 
have found in other books of devotion, or such as 
you have heard Fellow Christians make use of, 
whereby your own hearts have been sensibly moved 
and warmed. Those forms of speaking, that have 
had great influence and success upon our affections 
at one time, may probably have a like effect also at 



EXPItBSSSION IN PRAYEH. 4S0 

other seasons ; if so be we take care not to confine 
ourselves to them constantly, lest formality and 
thoughtful ness should grow thereby. 

Though the limitation of ourselves to a constant 
set form of words be justly disapproved ; yet there 
is great use of serious, pious, and well composed 
patterns of prayer, in order to form our expressions 
and furnish us with proper praying language. And 
I wish the assistances which might be borrowed 
thence, were not as superstitiously abandoned by 
3ome persons, as they are idolized by others. But 
I suppose no persons will disapprove the advice, if 
I desire them to remember the more affectionate sen- 
tences in the Psalms of David, and the complaints 
of Job, and other holy men, when they breathe out 
*heir souls to God in worship. 

These in a nearer and more particular sense may 
be called the words which the Holy Spirit teacheth; 
and whenever they suit our circumstances, they will 
always be pleasing to God. Besides, they are such 
as Christians are most acquainted with, and pious 
souls are most affected with them. The spirit of 
God in praying and preaching will often bless the 
use of his own language. And I am persuaded this 
is one way whereby the Spirit helps our infirmities,. 
a?nd becomes a Spirit of supplication in us, by sug- 
gesting us particular passages of scripture, that are 
useful to furnish us both with matter and expression 
in prayer. 

The most authentic judge of fine thoughts and 
language that our age has produced, assures us of 



EXPRHSSIOH IK PKAYER. 

the beauty and glory of the style of scripture, %rtA 
particularly in this respect, that it is most proper to 
teach us how to pray. I cannot forbear transcrib- 
ing this paragraph from the Spectator, June 1 A, 
1712. "ft happens very well, says he, that the 
Hebrew Idioms run into the English tongue with 
a particular grace and beauty. Our language has 
received innumerable elegancies and improvements 
from that infusion of Hebraisms, which are derived 
to it out of the poetical passages of holy writ ; they 
give a force and energy to our expressions, warm 
and animate our language, and convey our thoughts 
in more ardent and intent phrases, than any that are 
to be met with in our own tongue; there is some- 
thing so pathetic in this kind of diction, that it often 
sets the mind in a flame, and makes our hearts bum 
within us. How cold and dead, saith he, doth a 
prayer appear that is composed in the most elegant 
and polite forms of speech which are natural to our 
tongue, when it is not heightened by that solemnity 
of phrase which may be drawn from the sacred 
writings? It has been said by some of the ancients 
that if the Gods were to talk with men, they would 
certainly speak in Plato's style ; but I think we may 
say with justice, that when mortals converse with 
their Creator, they cannot do it in so proper a style 
as that of the holy scriptures.'" 
, It would be of excellent use to improve us in the 
gift of prayer, if in our daily reading the word of 
God we did observe what expressions were suited 
to the several parts of this duty; adoration, confes- 
sion, pe-ition, or thanksgiving; and let them bft 



SXPRl&SSION iff FRAYS*. 431 

wrought into our addresses to God that day. Nay, 
if we did but remember one verse everyday, and 
fix it into our hearts by frequent meditation, and 
work it into our prayers morning and evening, it 
would in time grow up to a treasure of divine sense 
and language, fit to address our maker upon all oc- 
currences of life. 

And it has been observed, that persons of mean 
capacity, and no learning, have attained to a good 
measure of this holy skill of prayer, merely by 
having their minds well furnished with words of 
scripture ; and having been able to pour out theit 
hearts before God in a fluency of proper thoughts 
and language, to the shame of those that have been 
blessed with brighter parts, and have enjoyed the 
advantages of a learned education. 

Yet I would lay down two cautions about the use 
of scripture language 

One is, That we should not affect too much to 
impose an illusive sense upon the words of scrip- 
ture, nor use them in our prayers in a signification 
very different from the true meaning of them. Not 
that I would utterly disallow and condemn all such 
illusive expressions ; as for instance, that which is 
frequently used when we desire mercies for our souls 
and bodies, to ask the blessings of the upper and 
the nether springs. There may be some such phra- 
ses used pertinently enough. The commonness of 
tVem also makes them something more agreeable f 
yet if we affect to show our wit or ingenuity by 
seeking pretty phrases of scripture, and using them 



in an illusive sense, very foreign to the original purw 
pose of them, we shall be in danger of leading our 
selves into many mistakes in the interpretation -of 
scripture, and expose ourselves sometimes to the 
peril of mistaking the true sense of a text, by hav- 
ing frequently fixed a false meaning upon it in our 
prayers. 

Another caution, in using scripture language, is 
this, that we abstain from all those expressions 
which are of a very dubious sense, and hard to be 
understood ; if we indulge the use of such dart 
sentences in our speaking to God, we might as well 
pray in an unknown tongue, which is so much dis- 
approved by the apostle, 1 Cor. xiv. 9, 14. Let no' 
therefore the pomp and sound of any hard Hebrew 
names, or obscure phrases in scripture, allure us to 
be fond of them in social prayer, even though we 
ourselves should know the meaning of them, lest 
we confound the thoughts of our fellow-worshippers. 
. Direct. 3. Be always ready to engage in holy 
conference, and divine discourse. This will 
teach us to speak of the things of God. Let it be 
your delightful practice to recollect and talk over 
with one another the sermons you have heard, the 
books of divinity you have been conversant with. 
those parts of the word of God you have lately 
read, and especially your own experiences of divine 
things. Hereby you wil! gain a large treasure of 
language to clothe your pious thought? and affec- 
tions. 

It is r\ must i rnjjfcl./r /*r>/'/Kf, tf\cr ) vi ha\< 



SXPRXSSION IN **AYfH|. 4H 

tieard ft sermon, to confer with some fellow Chris- 
tian that heard it too, and run over all the particu- 
lars of it that you can retain in your memory; then 
retire and pray them over again, that is, make them 
the matter and substance of your address to God ; 
plead with him to instruct you in the truths that 
were mentioned, to incline you to perform the duties 
recommended, to mourn over and mortify the sins 
that were reproved, to teach you to trust and live 
upon the promises and comforts proposed, and to 
wait and hope for the glories revealed in that ser- 
mon. Let this be done frequently afterward in the 
same week, if the sermon be suited to your case and 
condition of soul. This will furnish you incred- 
bly with riches of matter and expression for the 
great duty of prayer. 

The reason why we want expressions in prayer, 
is many times because we use ourselves so little to 
speak about the things of religion, and another 
world. A man that hath but a tolerable share of 
natural parts, and no great volubility of speech, 
learns to talk well upon the affairs of his own trade 
and business in the world, and scarce ever want? 
words to discourse with his dealers ; and the reason 
is, because his heart and his tongue are frequently 
engaged therein. Thus if our affections are kept 
warm, and we use ourselves frequently to speak of 
the things of religion to men, we shall learn to ex- 
press ourselves much better about the same divine 
concerns when we come before God. 

Direct. 4. Pray earnestly for the gift of ut- 
terance* and seek the blessing of the gift of God 
U 



4S4 EXPRESSION IN FRAYE*. 

upon the use of proper means to obtain a treasure 
of expressions for prayer. The great apostle 
prayed often for a freedom of speech and utterance 
in his ministry, that he may speak the mystery of 
Christ, and make it manifest as he ought to speak, 
Col. Hi. 4. So the gift of utterance in prayer is a 
very fit request to be made to God for the advantage 
of our own souls, and all those that join with us. 
The wise man tells us, in Pro v. xvi. I, that the 
preparation of the heart in man, and the answer of 
the tongue is from the Lord. Let us pray then 
that when God hath prepared our heart for his wor- 
ship, he would also teach our tongue to answer the 
thoughts and desires of the heart, and to express 
them in words suitable, and answering to all our in- 
ward spiritual affections. A happy variety of ex- 
pression, and holy oratory in prayer, is one of these 
good and perfect gifts that come from above, from 
God the Father of lights and knowledge, Jas. i. 17. 

The rules about the choice and use of proper 
expressions in prayer, are these : 

Rule 1. Choose those expressions that best suit 
your meaning, that most exactly answer the ideas 
of your mind, and that are fitted to your sense and 
apprehension of things. For the design of prayer 
is to tell God the inward thoughts of your heart; if 
you speak therefore what is not in the heart, though 
the words be never so fine and pathetical, it is but a 
mere] mockery of God. Let your tongues be the 
true interpreters of your minds. When our souls 
are filled with a lively impression of some of the 



EXPRESSION IN PRATER. 485 

attributes, or works of God, when our hearts are 
overpowered with a sense of our own guilt and un- 
worthiness, or big with some important request; O 
what a blessed pleasure it is to hit upon a happy ex- 
pression, that speaks of our very soul, and fulfils all 
our meaning ! and what a pleasure doth it convey 
to all that join with us, who have their Spiritual 
senses exercised ? and it helps to excite in them the 
same devotion that dictated to us the words we 
speak: The Royal Preacher, in Eccles. xii. 10, 
"Sought out, and gave good heed to find, and to set 
in order acceptable words in his sermons, that they 
might be as goads and nails fastened by the Master 
of assemblies. " That is, that they might leave a 
strong and lasting impression on those that hear, 
that by piercing deep into the heart as goads, they 
might be fixed as nails. And there is the same rea- 
son for the choice of words in prayer. 

Rule 2. Use such a way of speaking as may be 
most natural and easy to be understood, and most 
agreeable to those that join with you. The apos- 
tle gives this direction to the Corinthians, concern- 
ing their public worship ; 1 Cor. xiv. 9. "Except ye 
utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how 
shall it be known what is spoken; for ye shall speak 
into the air." Avoid therefore all foreign and un- 
common words, which are borrowed from other lan- 
guages, and not sufficiently naturalized, or which 
are old and worn out of use. Avoid those expres- 
sions which are too philosophical, and those which 
savor too much of mystical divinity. AvdM a-loaa 



i#6 ' EXPRESSION IN PRAYER. 

'-ftiii'Vf dark metaphors, or of expressions that are 
ased only by some particular violent party men.- — 
Avoid length and obscurity in your sentences, and 
in the placing of your words; and do not interline 
your expressions with too many parenthesis, which 
cloud and entangle the sense. 

And here I beg leave to give one or two instances 
of each of these improper methods of speaking; 
not that I ever heard these very phrases used by any 
ministers or private Christians in prayer. But as 
vices of the life are rendered most hateful, and are 
best cured or prevented by seeing them represented 
in their plainest and most odious colors; so the vices 
of speech and improprieties of expression are bet- 
avoided by a plain representation of them in their 
own complete deformity. This will deter us from 
coming near them, and make us watchful against 
all those forms of speaking that border upon these 
follies. And indeed, without giving examples of 
each of these faults, I know not how to make the 
unlearned Christian understand the things he ought 
to avoid. 

By uncommon words, I mean such as are eithei 
too new, or too old for common use. 

Old and obsolete words are such as these; we do 
thee to wit, for, we acquaint thee. Leasing for 
lying. A gin for a snare. Some such words as 
these yet stand in our translation of the Bible; ma 
ny of these you may find in the old translation of 
the Psalms in the common-prayer book, and in the 
Metre of Hopkins and Sternhold; which might be 



EXPRMSION IN PRATM. 487 

proper in the age when they were written, but are 
low grown into contempt. 

New words are for the most part borrowed from 
foreign languages, and should not be used in social 
prayer, till they are grown so common, that there 
appears no difficulty to the hearers, nor affectation 
in the speaker. Such as these, which have a 
French original : Thou, Lord, art our dernier 
resort, i. e., our last refuge. The whole world is 
but one great machine managed by thy puissance, i. 
e., an engine managed by thy power. We are cha- 
grin, because of the hurries and tentations of the 
malign Spirit, i. e., we are vexed and grow uneasy 
by reason of the temptations of the Devil. Or 
these, which are borrowed from the Latin : i The 
beatific splendors of thy face irradiate the celestial 
region, and felicitate the saints :" "There are the 
most exuberant profusions of thy grace, and the sem- 
piternal efflux of thy glory." 

By philosophical expressions, I intend such as 
are taught in the Academical Schools, in order to 
give learned men a shorter and more comprehensive 
knowledge of things, or to distinguish nicely be- 
tween ideas that are in danger of being mistaken 
without such distinction. As tor example, it is not 
proper to say to God in public prayer, "Thou art 
hypo statically Three, and essentially One. By 
the plentitude and perfection in thine essence, thou 
art self-sufficient for thine own existence and beau- 
titude; who in an incomplex manner eminently, 
though not formally, includest all the infinite vari- 
ety of complex ideas that are found among the 



4S8 EXPRESSION IN PRAYBR. 

creatures." Such language as this may be indulg- 
ed perhaps in a secret, by a man that uses himself 
to think and meditate under these forms ; but hia 
meaner fellow-Christians would no more be edifi- 
ed by them, than by praying in an unknown tongue. 

By the language of mystical divinity, I mean 
such incomprehensible sort of phrases, as a sect of 
divines among the Papists have used, and some few 
Protestants too nearly imitated. Such are "of the 
deiform ftmd of the soul, the superessential of life,, 
of singing a hymn of silence; that God is anabys9 
of light, a circle whose centre is everywhere, and 
his circumference no where. That Hell is the dark 
world made up of spiritual sulphur, and other in* 
gredients not united or harmonized, and without 
that pure balsamic oil that flows from the heart of 
God." These are great swelling words of vanity, 
that captivate silly people into raptures, by the mere 
sound without sense. 

By running long metaphors, I mean the pursuing 
ing of a similitude or metaphor, and straining so 
far, as to injure the doctrines of religion by a false 
sense, or very improper expressions. Such was thq 
language of a foolish writer, who bids us "give our 
hearts to the Lord, cut them with the knife of con- 
trition, take out the blood of your sins by confes- 
sion, afterward wash it with satisfaction, &c." 

By sentences that favor too high of party zeal, I 
mean such as would be useless, if not offensive, to 
Christians o^ different judgments that join with us 
in prayer: vfc should not in our prayers too much 



EXPRESSION IsfpRAYER. 43$ 

insist on the corruptions of doctrine and worship in 
any church, when some of that communion join 
with us ; nor of the infants interest in the covenant 
of grace, and baptism the first seal of it, when Bap- 
tists are worshipping with us together. Our pray- 
ers should not savor of anger and uncharitableness, 
for we are bid ''to lift up holy hands without wrath," 
1, Tim. ii. 8. 

. When I recommend such expressions as are easy 
to be understood, it is evident that you should avoid 
long and entangled sentences, and place you* 
thoughts and words in such an order, as the heart 
of the hearers may be able to receive and join in 
the worship, as fast as their ears receive the words: 
as in all our conversations and conferences, and dis- 
courses, we should labor to make everything we say 
to be understood immediately ; so especially in 
prayer, where the affections should be moved, which 
cannot well be done if the judgment must take 
much pains to understand the meaning of what is 
said. 

Rule 3. Let your language be crave and de- 
cent, which is a medium between magnificence 
and meanness. Let it be plain, but not coarse.— 
Let it be clean, but not at all lofty and glittering. 
Job speaks of "choosing his words to reason with 
God," Job ix. 14. Some words are choice and 
beautiful, others are unseemly and disagreeable.— 
Have a care of all wild, irregular expressions, that 
are unsuited to so solemn a part of worship. The 
best direction I can give you in this case,, is to ma&a 



EXPRESSION IS FKA**R. 

use.of such language as you generally use m your se- 
rious discourses upon religious subjects, when yon 
confer with one another about the things of God. 
For then the mind is composed to gravity, and the 
tongue should answer and interpret the mind. The 
language of a Christian in prayer, is the clothing 
of his thoughts, or the dress of his soul ; and it 
should be composed like the dress of his body, de- 
cent and neat, but not pompous or gaudy ; simple 
and plain, but not careless, uncleanly, or rude. 

Avoid therefore glittcriag language and affect- 
ed style. When you address God in worship, 'tis 
a fault to be ever borrowing phrases from the the- 
atre, and profane Poets. This does not &eem to 
be the language of Canaan* Many of their ex- 
pressions" are too light, and wild, and airy for so 
awful a duty. An excessive fondness of elegance, 
and finery of style in prayer ,, discovers the same 
pride and vanity of mind, as an affectation of many 
jewels and fine apparel in the house of God: It 
betrays us into a neglect of our hearts and of ex- 
perimental religion, by an affectation, to make the 
nicest speech and say the finest things we can, in- 
stead of sincere devotion, and praying in the spirit. 
Besides, if we will deal in lofty phraser scripture 
itself snfficiently abounds with them; an*! these are 
the most agreeable to God, and most affecting *to 
his own people. 

Avoid mean and coarse and toofrequen- expres- 
sion*, snch ns excite any contemptible or ridicul- 
ous ideas, such as raise any improper or irreverent 



EXPRESSION IN PRAYER. 441 

thoughts in the mind, or base and impure im- 
ages; for these much injure the devotion of our 
fellow worshippers. And it is very culpable negli- 
gence to speak to God in such a rude and unseemly 
manner as would ill become us in the presence of 
our fellow creatures, when we address ourselves to 
them. Not but that God hears the language of 
the meanest soul in secret, though he is not capable 
of expressing himself with all the decencies that 
are to be desired; yet it is certain, that we ought 
to seek to furnish ourselves with becoming metta 
ods of expression, that so our performance of this 
duty may be rendered pleasing to those with whom 
we worship; and there is no necessity of being 
rough and slovenly, in order to be sincere. Some- 
times persons have been guilty of great indecencies 
and exposed religion to profane scoffs, by a too fa- 
miliar me ntion of the name of Christ, and irrever- 
ent freedoms when they speak to God. I cannot 
approve of the phrases of rolling upon Christ of* 
swim ming upon Christ to dry land, of taking a 
lease of Christ for all eternity. I think we may 
fulfil that command of coming boldly to the throne 
of grace without such language, that can hardly be 
justified from rudeness and immodesty. Persons 
are sometimes in danger of indecencies in borrow- 
ing mean and trivial, or uncleanly similitudes] 
They rake all the sinks of nastiness to fecth meta- 
phors for their sins, and praying for the coming oi 
Christ, they fold up the heavens like an old cloak, 
and shovel days out of the w ay. By these few 



442 EXPRESSION IN PRATER. 

instances, you may learn what to avoid; and re^ 
member that words, as well as things, grow old 
and uncomely; and some expressions, that might 
appear decent threescore years ago would be high- 
ly improper, and offensive to the ears of the present 
age. It is therefore no sufficient apology for these 
phrases, that men of great learning and most emi- 
nent piety have made use of them. 

Rule. Seek after those ivays of expression thai 
arc pathctical, such as denote the fervency of af- 
fection, and carry life and spirit with the/ni ; such 
as may awaken and exercise our love, our hope, 
our holy joy, our sorrow, our fear, and our faith, as 
well as express the activity of those graces. This 
is the way to raise, assist, and maintain devotion. 
We should therefore avoid such a sort of style as 
looks more like preaching which some persons that 
affect long prayers have been guilty of to a great de- 
gree. They have been speaking to the people, and 
teaching them the doctrines of religion, and the 
mind and will of God, rather than speaking to God 
the desires of their own minds. They have wan. 
dered away from God to preach to men. But this 
is quite contrary to the nature of prayer ; for prayer 
in our own address to God, declaring our sense of 
divine things, and pouring out our hearts before hiir 
with warm and proper affections. And there are 
several modes of expression that promote this end. 
As, 

1. Exclamations, which serve to set forth an af- 
fectionate wonder, a sudden surprise, or violent im 
^ression of anything on the mind. Psal lxxxi. 49 



EXPBESBION IN PRAYS*. 44fc 

O how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid 
up for them that fear thee ! Psal. cxxxix. 17. How 
precious are thy thoughts to me, O God, how great 
is the sum of them ! Rom. vii. 24. O wretched 
man that I am ! Who shall deliver me ? 

2. Interrogations, when the plain sense of any- 
thing we declare unto God is turned into a question, 
to make it more emphatical and affecting. Psal. 
cxxxix. 7. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? 
Whither shall I flee from thy presence? Ver. 21. 
Do I not hate them that hate thee? Rom. vii. 24. 
Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 

3. Appeals to God, concerning our own want$ 
or sorrows, our sincere and deep sense of the things 
we speak to him. John xxi. 17. Lord thou know- 
est all things, thou knowest that I love thee. So 
David appeals to God. Psal. lxix. 5. My sins 
are not hid from thee. Psal. lvi. 8. Thou tellest 
all our travels, or our wanderings; are not my tears 
in thy book? Job x. 7. Thou knowest that I am 
not wicked : my witness is in heaven and my record 
is on high, Job xvi. 19. 

4. Expostulations, which are indeed one partic- 
ular sort of interrogation, and are fit to express not 
only deep dejections of the mind, but to enforce any 
argument that is used in pleading with God, either 
for mercy for his saints, or the destruction of his 
enemies. Isa. lxiii. 15, 17. Look down from hea- 
ven, behold from the habitations of thy holiness and 
of thy glory, where is thy zeal and thy strength? 
the sounding of thy bowels and thy mercies towards 



444 EXPRESSION IN PRATER. 

me, are they restrained? O Lord, wny nast thou 
made us to err from thy ways ? and hardened our 
hearts from thy fear? Isa. li. 9, 10. Awake, awake, 
put on thy strength, O arm of the Lord: Art not 
thou it that hatli cut Rahab, and wounded the dra- 
gon? Art not thou it that hath dried the sea, the 
waters of the great deep? Psal. Ixxvii. 8. Will the 
Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favorable no 
more ? Psal. Ixxx. 4. O Lord God of Hosts, how 
long wilt thou be angry? Psal. xliv. 24. Where- 
fore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our afflic- 
tion? God invites his people thus to argue with 
him, Isa. i. 18. Come now, let us reason together 
saith the Lord. And holy men in humble and rev- 
erend expostulations, have with many reasons plead- 
ed their cause before God, and their words are re- 
corded as our patterns. 

5. Options, or wishes fit to set forth serious and 
earnest desires, Job vi. 8. O that I might have my 
request ! Psal. cxix. 5. O that my ways were di- 
rected to keep thy statutes ! 

6. Apostrophes, that is, when in the midst of 
our addresses to God we turn off the speech abrupt- 
ly to our own souls, being led by the vehemence of 
some sudden devout thought. So David in the 
xvith Psalm, Preserve me, O God; for in thee do 
I put my trust. O my soul, thou hast said to the 
Lord, thou art my Lord, &c. In meditations, 
Psalms, Hymns, or other devotional compositions, 
these Apostrophes may be longer and more frequent; 
but in prayer they should 1 e very short, except 



EXPRESSION IN PRAYER. 446 

when the speech is turned from one person of the 
blessed Trinity to another, thus : " Great God has* 
thou not promised that thy Son should have the 
heathen for his inheritance, and that he should rule 
the nations? Blessed Jesus, how long ere thou as- 
gume this kingdom? when wilt thou send thy spirit 
to enlighten and convert the world? When, O 
Eternal Spirit, wilt thou come and shed abroad thy 
light and thy grace, through all the earth. " 

7. hi geminations, or redoubling our expressions, 
which argue an eager and inflamed affection. PsaL 
xciv. 1,2. O Lord God, to whom vengeance be- 
longeth, O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, 
show thyself. Psalm cxxx. 6. My soul waits for 
the Lord more than they that watch for the morn* 
ing, I say, more than they that watch for the morn- 
ing. And the conclusion of Psal. lxxii. is, blessed 
be the Lord for evermore, Amen and Amen. — 
But here let us take care to distinguish between 
tfiose repetitions that arise from real fervency of 
spirit, and those that are used merely to lengthen 
out a prayer, or that arise from mere barrenness of 
heart, and want of matter. It is far better, at least 
in public prayer, to yield to our present indisposi- 
tion, and shorten the duty, than to fill up our time 
with constant repetitions, such as, O Lord our God, 
if it be thy blessed will ; we entreat thee ; we be- 
seech thee; O Lord have mercy upon us. For 
though some of these expressions may be properly 
enough repeated several times in a prayer, yet filling 



446; K$P4U3$SJON in prat**- 

up every empty space, and stretching out almost 
every sentence with them, is not agreeable to our 
fellow-worshippers, nor an ornament, nor a help to 
our devotion, or theirs. 

Rule 5. Do not always confine yourselves to 
one set form of ivords to express any particular 
request, nor take too much pains to avoid an ex- 
pression, merely because you used it in prayer 
heretofore. Be not over fond of a nice uniformity 
of words, nor of perpetual diversity of expression 
in every prayer. It is best to keep the middle be- 
tween these two extremes. We should seek to be 
furnished with a rich variety of holy language, that 
our prayers may always have something new, and 
something entertaining in them, and not tie our- 
selves to express one thing always in one set of 
words, let this make us grow formal and dull, and 
indifferent in those petitions. But on the other 
hand, if we are guilty of a perpetual affectation of 
new words, which we never before used, we shall 
sometimes miss our own best and most spiritual 
meaning, and many times be driven to great impro- 
priety of speech : and at best, our prayers by this 
means will look like the fruit of our fancy and in- 
vention, and labor of the head, more than the brea- 
things of the heart. The imitation of those Chris- 
tians and ministers that have the best gifts, will be 
an excellent direction in this, as well as in the for- 
mer cases. 



VOICE IN PRAYER. 441 

SECT. VI. 

OP THE VOICE IN PRAYER. 

The Fourth thing to be considered in the gift of 
prayer, is the Voice. 

Though the beauty of our expressions, and the 
tuneableness of our voice can never render our wor- 
ship more acceptable to God, the infinite spirit ; yet 
our natures, being composed of flesh and spirit, may 
be assisted in worship by the harmony of the voice 
of him that speaks. Should the matter, method, 
and expressions be never so well chosen in prayer, 
yet it is possible for the voice to spoil the pleasure, 
and injure the devotion of our fellow worshippers. 
When speeches of the best composure, and the 
warmest languge are recited in a cold, harsh, or 
ungrateful wav, the beautv of them is almost lost. 

Some persons, by nature, have a very sweet and 
tuneful voice, that whatsoever they speak appears 
pleasing. Others must take much more pains, and 
attend with diligence to rules and directions, that 
their voice may be formed to an agreeable pronun- 
ciation. For we find by sad experience, that all 
the advantages that nature can obtain or apply to 
assist our devotions, are all little enough to keep our 
hearts from wandering, and to maintain delight. 
At least it is a necessary duty to know and avoid 
those disagreeable ways of pronunciation, that may 
rather disgust than edify such as join with us. 

I confess, in secret prayer there is no necessity 
of a voice ; for God hears a whisper as well as a 
sigh and a groan. Yet some Christians cannot 



448 VOICE IN PRATER. 

pray with any advantage to themselves witnout the 
use of a voice in some degree ; nor can I judge it 
at all improper, but rather preferable, so that you 
have a convenient place for secrecy. For hereby 
you will not only excite your own affections the 
more, but by practice in secret, if you take due care 
of your voice there, you may learn also to speak in 
public the better. 

The great and general rule I would lay down for 
managing the voice in prayer is this: Let us use 
the same voice with which we usually speak in 
grave and serious conversation, especially upon 
pathetical and affecting subjects. This is the 
best direction that I know, to regulate the sound as 
well as the words. Our own native and common 
voice appears most natural, and may be managed 
with greatest ease. And some persons have taken 
occasion to ridicule our worship, and to censure us 
as hypocrites, when we fondly seek and affect any 
new and different sort of sounds or voices in our 
prayers. 

The particular directions are such as these : 

Direct. 1. Let your words be all pronounced 
distinct, and not made shorter by cutting off the 
last syllable, nor longer, by the addition of hems 
and o's, of long breaths, affected groanings, and 
useless sounds, of coughing or spitting, &c, which 
some have heretofore been guilty of, and have suffi- 
ciently disgraced religion. 

[f you cut off and lose the last syllable of your 
word, or mumble the last words of the sentence, 



VOICF. IX PR AYR*. ' flf)" 

and sfnk in your voice, so that others 'cannot 'hear, 
they will be ready to think, it is because vou did 
not speak properly, and so were afraid to be heard. 

If on the other hand you lengthen out your sen- 
tences with ridiculous sounds, you endanger the de- 
votion even of the wisest and best of your fellow 
worshippers, and expose the worship to the pro- 
fane raillery of idle and corrupt fancies. While 
you seem to be designing to rub off the roughness 
of your throat, or to express greater affection by such 
methods others will suspect that it is a method only 
to prolong your sentences, to stretch your prayers 
to an affected length, and to recover youf thoughts 
what to say next. Therefore when your passions 
happen to be elevated w T ith some lively expression 
in prayer, and you are delightfully constrained to 
dwell upon it; or when you meditate to speak the 
next sentence with propriety ; it is far better to make 
a long pause and keep a decent silence, than to fall 
into such indecencies of sound. 

Direct. 2. Let every sentence be spoken toud 
enovgh to be heard, yet none so loud as to affright 
or offend the ear. Between these two exiremes 
there is a great variety of degrees of sound, suffi- 
cient to answer all the changes of our affections, 
and the different sense of every part of our prayer. 
In the beginning of prayer, especially, a lower voice 
is more becoming, both as it bespeaks humility and 
reverence, when we enter into the presence of God, 
and as it is also a great conveniency to the organs 
of speech not to arise too high at first ; for it is 



450 VOICE IN PRAYER. 

much harder to sink again afterwards, than to rise 
to higher accents, if need require. Some persons 
have got a habit of beginning their prayers, and 
even upon the most common family occasions, so 
loud as to startle the company ; others begin so low 
in a large assembly, that it looks like secret wor- 
ship, and as though they forbid those that are pres- 
ent to join with them. Both these extremes are to 
be avoided by prudence and moderation. 

Direct. 3. Observe a due medium between ex- 
cessive swiftness and slowness of speech, for both 
are faulty in their kind. 

If you 3re too swift, your words will be hurried 
on, and will, as it were, intrude upon one another, 
and be mingled in confusion. It is necessary there- 
fore to observe a due distance between your words, 
and a much greater distance between your sen- 
tences, that so all may be pronounced distinct and 
intelligible. 

Due and proper pauses and stops will give the 
hearer time to conceive and reflect on what you 
speak, and more heartily to join with you, as well 
as give you leave to breathe, and make the work 
more easy and pleasant to yourselves. Besides, 
when persons run on heedless with an incessant 
flow of words, being carried as it were in a violent 
stream, without rests or pauses, they are in danger 
of uttering things rashly before God, giving no time 
at all to their own meditation, but indulging their 
tongue to run sometimes too fast for their own 
thoughts, as well as for the affections of such as 



VOICE IN PRAYER. 451 

are present with them. And hence it comes to pas- 
that some persons have begun a sentence in prayer, 
and been forced to break off and begin anew; or it' 
they have pursued that sentence, it has been with so 
much inconsistency, that it could hardly be reduced 
to sense or grammar; which has given too sensible 
an occasion to others to ridicule all conceived 
prayer, and has been very dishonorable to God and 
his worship. All this arises from a hurry of the 
tongue into the middle of a sentence, before the 
mind has conceived the full and complete sense of it. 

On the other hand, if you are too slow, and very 
sensibly and remarkably so, this will also grow tire- 
some to the hearers, while they have done with the 
sentence you spoke last and wait in pain, and long 
for the next expression, to exercise their thoughts, 
and carry on their devotion. This will make our 
worship appear heavy and dull. Yet I must needs 
say, that an error on this hand in prayer, is to be 
preferred before an excess of speed and hurry, and 
its consequences are less hurtful to religion. 

In general, with regard to the two foregoing di- 
rections, let the se?ise of each sentence be a rule 
to guide your voice, whether it must be high or 
low, swift or leisurely. In the invocation of God, 
in humble adoration, in confession of sin, and self- 
resignation, a slower and a modester voice is for 
the most part very becoming, as well as in every 
other part of prayer where there is nothing very pa- 
thetical expressed. Bat in petitions, in pleadings, 
in thanksgivings and ripjor-mg in God, fervency ano 



462 tOICE IN PHA YfiR. 

importunity, holy joy and triumph will raise the 
voice some degrees higher; and lively passions of 
the delightful kind will naturally draw out our lan- 
guage with greater speed and spirit. 

Direct. 4. Let proper accents be put according 
as the sense requires. It would be endless to give 
particular rules how to place our accents. Nature 
dictates this to every man, if he will but attend to 
the dictates of nature. Yet in order to attain it in 
greater perfection, and to secure us from irregularity 
in this point, let us avoid these few things follow- 
ing : 

1. Avoid a constant uniformity of voice, that 
is, when every word and sentence are spoken with- 
out any difference of sound. Like a boy at school 
repeating all his lesson in one dull note ; which 
shows that he is not truly acquainted with the sense 
and value of the author. Now, though persons may 
be truly sincere and devout, who speak without an) 
difference of accent, yet such a pronunciation will 
appear to others as careless and negligent, as though 
the person that speaks were unconcerned about the 
great work in which he is engaged, and as though 
he had none of his affections moved, whereby his 
voice might be modulated into agreeable changes. 

2. Avoid a vicious disposition of the accent, 
and false pronunciation. 

As for instance, it is a vicious pronunciation, 
when a person uses just the same set of accents, and 
repeats the same set of sounds and cadences in every 
sentence, though his sentences are ever so different 



TOICE IN PRAY«R. 



as to their sense, as to the lengtn, or as to The 
warmth of expression. As if a man should begin 
erery sentence in prayer with a high voice, and 
end it in a low ; or begin each line with a hoarse 
and deep bass, and end it with a shrill and sharp 
sound. This is as if a musician should have but 
one sort of tune, or one single set of notes, and re- 
peat it over again in every line of a song, which 
could never be graceful. 

Another instance of false pronunciation is, 
when strong accents are put upon little words, and 
particles which bear no great force in the sentence. 
And some persons are so unhappy, that those little 
words, they, and that, and of and by, shall have 
the biggest force of the voice bestowed upon them; 
whilst the phrases and expressions of chief significa 
tion are spoken with a cold and low voice. 

Another instance of false pronunciation is, 
when a calm plain sentence, wherein there is noth- 
ing pathetical, is delivered with much force and vi- 
olence of speech ; or when the most pathetical and 
affectionate expressions are spoken with the utmost 
calmness and composure of voice. All which are 
very unnatural in themselves, and to be avoided by 
those that would speak properly, to the edification 
of such as worship with them. 

The last instance I shall mention of false pro- 
nunciation is, when we fall into a musical turn of 
wice, as though we were singing, instead of pray- 
ing. Some devout souls have been betrayed into 
such a self-pleasing tone, by the warmth of their 



454 VOICE IN PRAYER. 

spirits in secret worship ; and having none to hear, 
and inform them how disagreeable it is to others, 
have indulged it even to an incurable habit. 

3. Avoid a fond and excessive humoring every 
word and sentence to axtremzs> as if you were 
upon a stage in a theatre. Which fault also some 
serious persons have fallen into for want of cau- 
tion. And it hath appeared so like affectation, 
that it hath given great ground for censure. As for 
instance' 

If we should express every humble and mournful 
sentence in a weeping tone, and with our voice per- 
sonate a person that is actually crying; that is what 
our adversaries have exposed by the name of cant- 
ing and whining, and have thrown it upon a whole 
party, for the sake of the imprudence of a few. 

Another instance of this excessive affectation is, 
when we express every pleasurable sentence in our 
prayers, every promise or comfort, every joy or 
hope, in too free and airy a manner, with too bold 
an exultation, or with a broad smile ; which indeed 
looks like too familiar a dealing with the great God. 
Every odd and unpleasing tone should be banished 
from divine worship ; nor should we appear before 
God in humility upon our knees, with grandeur and 
magnificence upon our tongues, lest the sound of 
our voice should contradict our gesture, lest it 
should savor of irreverence in so awful a presence, 
and give disgust to those that hear us. 



GESTURE IK PRAYlB. 455 

SECT. VII. 

OF GESTURE IN PRAYER 

We proceed now to the fifth and last thing con- 
siderable in the Gift of Prayer ; and that is, Ges- 
ture. 

And though it may not so properly be termed a 
part of the gift, yet inasmuch as it belongs to the 
outward performance of this piece of worship, I 
cannot think it improper to treat a little of it in this 
place. 

Since we are commanded to pray always, and at 
all seasons, there can be no posture of the body un- 
fit for short ejaculations and pious breathings to- 
wards God; while we lie in our beds, while we sit 
at our tables, or are taking our rest in any methods 
of refreshment, our souls may go out towards our 
heavenly Father, and have sweet converse with 
him in short prayers. And to this we must refer 
that passage, 1 Chron. xvii. 16., concerning David, 
where it is said, "He sat before the Lord, and said 
Lord, who am I, or what is my house, that thou 
hast brought me hitherto ?" But when w r e draw 
near to God in special seasons of worship, the work 
of player calls for a greater solemnity, and in every 
thing that relates to it, we ought to compose our- 
selves with great reverence : that we may worship 
God with our bodies, as well as with our Spirits, 
and pay him devotion with our whole Natures, 1 
Cor.vi. 23 

In our discourse concerning gestures fit for wor- 
ship, we shall consider, First, the posture of the 



4$6 GESTURE IN PfiA YER. 

whole body, and Secondly, of the particular parts 
of it ; and endeavor to secure you against indecen- 
cies in either of them. 

1. Those postures of the body, which the light 
of nature, and rule of Scripture, seem to dictate as 
most proper for prayer, are standing, kneeling, or 
prostration. 

Prostration is sometimes used in secret prayer, 
when a person is under a deep and uncommon sense 
of sin, and falls flat upon his face before God, and 
pours out his soul before him, under the influence 
of such thoughts, and the wording of such graces 
as produce very uncommon expressions of humilia- 
tion and self-abasement. This we find in Scrip- 
ture made use of upon many occasions: As, "Abra- 
ham fell on his face before God," Gen. xviii. 3, and 
"Joshua before the Lord Jesus Christ, the Captain 
of the Host of God, Joshua v. 14. So Moses, 
Ezekiel, and Daniel, at other seasons: so in the 
New Testament, when John fell at the feet of the 
angel to worship him, supposing it had been our 
Lord, Rev. xix. 10. And who could choose but 
fall down to the dust, at the presence of God him- 
self. 

Kneeling is the most frequent posture used in 
this worship, and Nature seems to dictate and lead 
us to it as an expression of humility, of a sense of 
our wants, a supplication for mercy, and adoration 
of, and a dependence upon him before whom we 
kneel. This posture hath been practised in all 
ages, and in all nations, even where the light of 



©SSTURE IN PRAYER. 467 

Scripture never shined : and if it might be had with 
conveniency, would certainly be a most agreeable 
posture for the worship of God, in public assem- 
blies, as well as in private families, or in Our secret 
chambers. There are so many instances and di- 
rections for this posture in Scripture, that it would 
be useless to take pains to prove it. So Solomon^ 
2 Chron. vi. 13. Ezra, Ezr. ix. 5. Daniel, I)an. 
vi. 10. Christ himself, Luke xxii. 41. Paul, Acts 
xx. 36, and xx. 5. Eph. iii. 14. 

In the last place, standing is a posture not unfit 
for this worship, especially in places where Wfe 
have not convenience for the humbler gestures. For 
as standing up before a person whom we respect and 
reverence, is a token of that esteem and honor 
which we pay him; so standing before God, wherfc 
we have not conveniences of kneeling, is an agree- 
able testification of our high esteem of him whom 
we address and worship. There are instances of 
this gesture in the Word of God. Mark xi. 25, 
Our Savior says to his disciples, "when ye stand 
praying:/' and Luke xviii. 13, "the publican stood 
afar off and prayed." Standing seems to have 
been the common gesture of worship, in a large and 
public assembly, 2 Chron. xx. 4, 5, 13. And in 
this case it is very proper to conform to the usage 
of Christians with whom we worship, whether 
standing or kneeling, since neither of them are 
made absolutely necessary by the Word of God. 

But I cannot think that sitting, or other postures 
of rest and laziness, ought to be indulged in solemn 
V 



*4S8 GESTURE IN PRAYER. 

seasons of prayer, unless persons are in any respect 
infirm or aged, or the work of prayer be drawn out 
so long as to make it troublesome to human nature 
* to maintain itself always in one posture. And in 
these cases, whatsoever gesture of" body keeps the 
mind in the best composure, and fits it ^most to pro- 
ceed in this worship, will not only be accepted of 
God, but is most agreeable to him. For it is a 
great rule that he hath given, and he will always 
stand by, that bodily exercise profiteth little ; for 
he looks chiefly after the heart, and he will have 
mercy, and not sacrifice. 

2. The posture of the several parts of the body 
that are most agreeable to worship, and that may 
force us from all indencies, may be thus particular- 
ized and enumerated. 

As for the head, let it be kept for the most part 
without motion; for there are very few turns of the 
head in the worship of prayer, that can be account- 
ed decent. And many persons have exposed them- 
selves to ridicule, by to$sings and shakings of the 
head, and nodding while they have been offering 
the solemn sacrifice of prayer to God. Though it 
must be allowed that in cases of great humiliation, 
the hanging down of the head is no improper me- 
thod to express that temper of mind. So the pray- 
ing Publican in the text aforecited : So the Jews in 
the time of Ezra, in a full congregation bowed their 
heads and worshipped the Lord, with their faces 
toward the ground, Nehem. viii. 6. But in our 
expressions of hops and joy, it is natural to lift up 



GESTUftE IN PRAYER. 469 

the head, while we believe that our redemption 
draws nigh; as in Luke xxi. 28. I might also men- 
tion the apostle's advice, that he that prays ought 
have his head uncovered, lest he dishonor his head, 
1 Cor. xi. 4. 

In the face, the God of nature hath written va- 
rious indications of the temper of the mind; and 
especially when it is moved by any warm affection. 

In Divine worship, the whole visage should be 
composed to gravity and solemnity, to express a 
holy awe and reverence of the majesty of God, and 
the high importance of the work wherein we are 
engaged. 

In confession of sin, while we express the sor- 
rows of our soul, melancholy will appear in our 
countenances ; the dejection of the mind may be 
read there, and according to the language of Scrip- 
ture, "Shame and confusion will cover our faces. 
The humble sinner blushes before God at the re- 
membrance of his guilt, Jer. li. 51. Ezra ix. 6. 
Fervency of Spirit in our petitions, and holy joy 
when we give thanks to our God for his mercies, 
and rejoice in our highest hope, will be discovered 
by very agreeable and pleasing traces in the fea- 
tures and countenance. 

But here let us take heed, that we do not expose 
ourselves to the censure of our Savior, who reprov- 
ed the Pharisees for disfiguring their faces all that 
day which they had set apart for secret fasting and 
prayer, Matt. vi. 16. While we are engaged in 



4*0 GHB6TURE IN PRAYER. 

the very duty, some decent appearances of the de- 
votion of the mind in the countenance are very nat- 
ural and proper, and are not here forbidden by our 
Lord ; but at the same time it is best that those dis- 
coveries or characters of the countenance should 
fall below, and stay behind the inward affections of 
the mind, rather than to rise too high, or than go 
before. The devotion of our hearts would be warm- 
er than that of our faces : and we should have a 
care of all irregular and disagreeable distortions 
of the face; all those affected grimaces and wring- 
ing °f the countenance, as it were to squeeze out 
our words, or our tears, which sometimes may tempt 
our fellow-worshippers to disgust, when they be- 
hold us; as well as on the other hand avoid yawn- 
ing, and an air of littleness and drowsy gestures, 
which discover th§ sloth of the mind. It is a ter- 
rible word spoken by Jeremy in another case, Jer. 
xlxiii. 10, "Cursed is he that doth the work of the 
Lord negligently. 55 

To lift up the eyes to Heaven is a very natural 
posture of prayer, and therefore the Psalmist so of- 
ten mentions it, Psalm cxxi. 1, and cxxiii. 1, and 
cxli. 8. Though sometimes under great dejection 
of Spirit, and concern for sin, it is very decent with 
the publican to look down as it were upon the 
ground, .as being unworthy to lift up our eyes to 
heaven where God dwells, Luke xviii. 13. 

But above all, a roving eye, that takes notice of 
every thing, ought to be avoided in prayer; for 
though it may be possible for a person that prays to 



GESTURE IN PRAYER. 461 

keep his thoughts composed, whilst his eyes thus 
wander, (which at the same time seems very diffi- 
cult) yet spectators will be ready to judge that our 
hearts are given to wander as much as our eyes are, 
and they will suspect that the life and spirit of de- 
votion is absent. Upon this account some persons 
have found it most agreeable, to keep the eyes al- 
ways closed in prayer, lest by the objects that occur 
to their sight, the chain of their thoughts should be 
broken, or their hearts led away from their senses: 
nor can I think it improper to shut that door of the 
senses, and exclude the world while we are convers- 
ing with God. But in this and other directions, I 
would always excuse such persons who lie under 
any natural weaknesses, and much use those meth- 
ods that make the work of prayer most easy to them. 

The lifting up of the hands, sometimes folded 
together, or sometimes apart, is a very natural ex- 
pression of our seeking help from God, who dwells 
above, Psal. xxviii. 2. and cxxxiv. 2. The eleva- 
tion of the eyes, and the hands, is so much the dic- 
tate of nature in all acts of worship wherein we ad- 
dress God, that the heathens themselves practised 
it, as we have an account in their several writers, 
as well as we find it mentioned as the practice of 
the saints in the Holy Scripture. 

And as the elevation oj the hands to Heaven is 
a very natural gesture when a person prays for him- 
self,; so when a superior prays for a blessing to de- 
scend upon any person of an inferior character, it 
is very natural to lay his hand on the head of the 



462 GESTURE IN PRAYER. 

person for whom he prays. This we find practised 
from the beginning of the world, and the practice 
descends throughout all ages. It is true indeed, 
this gesture, the imposition of the hands, was used 
by the prophets and the apostles, when they pro- 
nounced authoritative and divine blessings upon 
men, and communicated miraculous gifts. But I 
esteem it not so much a peculiar rite belonging to 
the prophetical benediction, as it is a natural ex- 
pression of a desire of the divine blessing of a father 
to a son. from an elder person to one that is younger, 
from a minister to other Christians, especially those 
that are babes in Christ; and therefore when a per- 
son is set apart and devoted to God in any solemn 
office, whilst prayers are made for a divine blessing 
to descend upon him, imposition of hands seems 
to be a gesture of nature ; and considered in itself, 
I cannot think it either unlawful or necessary. 

With regard to other parts of the body, there is 
little need of any directions. Calmness and qui- 
etness and an uniformity of posture, seem to be 
more decent. Almost all motions are disagreeable, 
especially such as carry with them any sound or 
noise; for hereby the worship is rather disturbed 
than promoted, and some persons by such actions 
have seemed as though they beat time to the music 
of their own sentences 

In secret devotion indeed, sighs, and groans, 
and weeping, may be very well allowed, where we 
give vent to our warmest passions, and our whole 
nature and frame is moved with devout affections 



GESTURE IN PRAYER. 463 

of the mind. But in public these things should 
be less indulged, unless in such extraordinary sea- 
sons, when all the assembly may be effectually con- 
vinced they arise deep from the heart. If we in- 
dulge ourselves in various motions or noise made 
by the hands or feet, or any other parts, it will 
tempt others to think that our minds are not very in- 
tensely engaged, or at least it will appear so famil- 
iar and irreverent, as we would not willingly be 
guilty of in the presence of our superiors here on 
earth. 

OF FAMILY PRAYER. 

Since it is so necessary for the person that speaks 
in prayer to abstain from noisy motions, I hope all 
that join with him will understand that it is very 
unseemly for them to disturb the worship with mo- 
tion and noise. How indecent is it at family 
prayer, for persons to spend a good part of their 
time in settling themselves upon their knees, adjust- 
ing their dress, moving their chairs, saluting those 
that pass by and come in after the worship is be- 
gun? How unbecoming is it to stir ?i*d rise, while 
the two or three last sentences are spoken, as though 
devotion were so unpleasant and tedious a thing 
that they longed to have it over? How often is it 
found that the knee is the only part that pays ex- 
ternal reverence to God, while all the other parts 
of the body n-e composed to laziness, ease and 
negligence ? Some there are that seldom come in 
till the prayer is begun, and then there is a bustle 
and a disturbance made for their accommodation. 



464 GESTURE IN PRAYER. 

To prevent some of these irregularities, I would 
persuade him that prays, not to begin until all that 
design to join in the family worship are present, 
and that even before the chapter is read ; for I 
would not have the word of God used in a family 
for no other purpose than the tolling of a bell at 
church, to tell that the people are coming in to 
prayers. 

OP GRACE BEFORE AND AFTER MEAT. 

Since I have spoken particularly about family 
prayers, I would insert a word or two concerning 
another part of social worship in a family, and 
that, is, giving thanks before and after meat : 
Herein we ought to have a due regard to the occa- 
sion, and the persons present ; the neglect of which 
hath been attended with indecencies and indiscre-, 
tions. 

Some have used themselves to mutter a few words 
with so low a voice, as though by some secret charm 
they were to consecrate the food alone, and there 
was no need of the rest to join with them in the 
petitions. Others have broke out into so violent a 
sound, as though they were bound to make a thous- 
and people hear them. 

Some perform this part of worship witn so slight 
and familiar an air, as though they had no sense of 
the great Gcd to whom they speak : others have put 
on an unnatural solemnity, and changed their natu- 
ral voice into so different and awkward a tone, not 
without some distortions of countenance, that hath 
tempted strangers to ridicule. 



It is the custom of some, to hurry over a single 
sentence or two, and they have done, before half 
the company are prepared to lift up a thought to 
Heaven. And some have been just heard to be- 
speak a blessing on the church and the king, bu* 
seem to have forgot they were asking God to bless 
their food, or giving thanks for the food they have 
received. Others again have given themselves a 
loose into a long prayer, and among a multitude of 
other petitions, have not had one that related to the 
table before them. 

The general rule of prudence, together with a 
due observation of the custom of the place where 
we live, would correct all these disorders, and teach 
us that a few sentences suited to the occasion, spo- 
ken with an audible and proper voice, are sufficient 
for this purpose, especially if any strangers are 
present. If we are abroad in mixt company, 
many times it is best for each person to lift up a pe- 
tition to God in secret for himself: yet in a re- 
ligious family, or where all the company are of a 
piece, and no other circumstances forbids it, I can- 
not disapprove of a pious soul sometimes breathing 
out a few more devout expressions than are just 
necessary to give thanks for the food we receive ; 
nor is it improper to join any other present occur- 
rence of providence together with the table wor- 
ship. 

Here I would also beg leave to add this, that 
when a person is eating alone, I do no see any 
necessity of rising always from his seat, to recom- 
mend his food to the blessing of God, which a* - ** 



466 GESTURE IN PRAYER. 

be done in any posture of body with a short ejacu- 
lation: yet when he eats in company, I am of 
opinion that the present custom of standing up, is 
more decent and honorable, than of sitting down, 
just before we give thanks, which was too much 
practised in the former age. 

Thus I have delivered my sentiments concerning 
the gestures proper for prayer. And I hope they 
will appear useful and proper to maintain the dig- 
nity of the worship, and to pay honor to God with 
our bodies, as well as our souls. As we must not 
make ourselves mere statues and lifeless engines of 
prayer, so neither must we, out of pretence of Spir- 
ituality,- neglect all decencies. Our forms of Re- 
ligion are not numerous nor gaudy as the Jewish 
rites, nor theatrical gestures, or superstitious foppe- 
ries, like the papists ; we have no need to be mas- 
ters of ceremonies, in order to worship God aright, 
if we will but attend to the simplicity of manners 
which nature dictates, and the precepts and examples 
of the gospel confirm. 

Remark. Though the different gestures that be- 
long to preaching are very different from those of 
prayer , yet most of the rules that are prescribed for 
the expression, and the voice in prayer, may be use- 
fully applied also to preaching; but this difference 
is to be observed, that in the work of preaching, 
the same restraints are not always necessary, and 
especially in applying truth warmly to the con- 
science : for then we speak to men in the name and 
authority of God, and we may indulge a greater 



GIFT OF PRAYER. 48* 

freedom and brightness of language, more lively 
motions, and bolder efforts of zeal and outward fer- 
vor; but in prayer, where, in the name of sinful 
creatures, we address the great and holy God, 
every thing that belongs to us must be composed to 
an appearance of humility. 

SECT. VIII 

GENERAL DIRECTIONS ABOUT THE GIFT OP PRAYER. 

Thus have I finished what I designed upon the 
gift of prayer, with regard to the matter, the ex- 
pression, the voice, and the gesture. I shall con- 
clude this chapter with these five general direc- 
tions. 

I. Keep the middle way between a nice and 
laborious attendance to all the rules I have given, 
and a careless neglect of them. As every rule 
seems to carry its own reason with it, so it is proper 
that there should be some regard had to it, when 
occasions for the practice occur. For I have en* 
deavored to say nothing on the subject, but what 
might some way or other be useful towards the at- 
tainment of an agreeable gift of prayer, and the de- 
cent exercise of that gift. The multiplicity of our 
wants, the unfaithfulness of our memories, the dul- 
ness and slowness of our apprehensions, the com- 
mon wanderings of our thoughts, and the coldness 
of our affections, will require our best care for the 
remedy of them. 

Yet, on the other hand, I would not have you 
confine yourselves too precisely to all these forms 
in matter, method, expression, and gesture, upon 



498 gi** of maym. 

every occasion, lest you feel yourselves thereby 
under some restraint, and prevent your souls of that 
divine liberty, with which upon special occasions 
the spirit of God blesses his own people in the per- 
formance of this duty. When the heart is full of 
good matter, the tongue will sometimes be as the 
pen of a ready writer, Psal. lxv. i. Such a fixed- 
ness and fulness of thought, such a fervor of pious 
affections, will sometimes produce so glorious a 
fluency and variety of pertinent and moving ex- 
pressions, and all in so just a method, as makes 
it appear the man is carried beyond himself, and 
would be straightened and crampt by a careful at- 
tendance to rules. 

See then that the graces of prayer are at work in 
your souls with power ; let this be your first and 
highest care ; and by a sweet influence this will 
lead you to a natural and easy performance of this 
duty, according to most of the particular rules I 
have given, even without a nice and exact attend- 
ance to them. So withont attendance to the rules 
of art, a man may sometimes in a very musical 
humor strike out some inimitable graces and flourish- 
es, and charm all that hear him 

II. Among ministers, and among your fellow- 
Christians, observe those that have the most edify* 
iny gifts, and with regard to the matter, method, 
expression, voice, and gesture, endeavor to imitate 
them who are more universally approved of and the 
exercise of whose talents are most abundantly blest, 
to excite and maintain the devotion of all their fel- 
low worshippers. And at the same time also take 



GIFT OF PRAYS*. 469 

notice of all the irregularities and indecencies that 
any persons are guilty of in this worship, in order 
to avoid them when you pray. 

III. Use all proper means to obtain a manly 
presence of mind, and holy courage, in religious 
performances. Though excess of bashfulness be 
a natural infirmity, yet if indulged in such affairs, 
it may become very culpable. There may have 
been many useful gifts buried in silence, through a 
sinful bashfulness in the person endowed with them: 
And generally all persons, when they first begin to 
pray in public, feel something of this weakness, for 
want of a due presence of mind ; and it hath had 
different effects. Some persons have lost that due 
calmness and temper which should govern their ex- 
pressions ; and have been driven on to the end of 
their prayer like a school-boy hurrying his lesson 
over, or an alarm set running, that could not stop 
'till it was quite down. Others have hesitated at 
every sentence, and (it may be) felt a stop in their 
speech, that they could utter no more. Others 
again, whose minds have been well furnished and 
prepared, have lost their own scheme of thoughts, 
and make poor work at first, through mere bashful- 
ness. 

I grant, that courage, and a degree of assurance, 
is a natural talent ; but it may also in a great meas- 
ure be acquired by the use of proper means: I will 
here mention a few of them. 

1. Get above the shame or appearing religious ; 
that you may be dead to the reproaches of a wicked 



470 GIFT OF PRAYER. 

world, and despise the jests and scandal that art 
cast upon strict godliness. 

2. Make religious conversation your practice and 
delight. If you are but inured to speak to men con- 
cerning the things of God without blushing, you 
will be enabled to speak to God in the presence of 
men with holy confidence. 

3. Labor to attain this gift of prayer in a toler- 
erable degree, and exercise it often in secret for some 
considerable time before you begin in public. 

4. Take heed that your heart be always well pre- 
pared, and let the matter of your prayer be well pre- 
meditated when you make your first public attempts 
of it. 

5. Strive to maintain upon your soul a much 
greater awe of the majesty of that God to whom 
you speak, than of the opinions of those fellow 
creatures with whom you worship ; that so you 
may (as it were) forget that you are in the compa- 
ny of men, while you address the most high God. 
Chide your heart into courage, when you find it shy 
and sinking, and say, " Dare I speak to the great 
and dreadful God, and shall I be afraid of man?" 

Now in order to practice this advice well, the 
next shall be akin to it. 

6. Be not too tender of your own reputation in 
these externals of religion. This softness of spirit, 
which we call bashfulnes$ y has often a great fond- 
ness of self mingled with it. When we are to 
speak in public, this enfeebles the mind, throws us 
into a hurry, and makes us perform much worse 



OIFT OF PRAYER. 471 

than we do in secret. When we are satisfied there- 
fore that we are engaged in present duty to God, 
let us maintain a noble negligence of the censures of 
men, and speak with the same courage as though 
none but God were present. 

Yet to administer farther relief under this weak- 
ness, I add, 

7. Make your first essays in the company of one 
or two either your inferiors, or your most intimate, 
most pious and candid acquaintance, that you may 
be under no fear nor concern about their sentiments 
of your performance. Or join yourself in society 
with some young Christians of equal standing, and 
set apart times for praying together, which is an 
excellent way to obtain the gift of prayer. 

8. Do not aim at length of prayer in your younger 
attempts, but rather be short ; offer up a few more 
common and necessary requests at first, and pro* 
ceed by degrees to enlarge and fulfil the several parts 
of worship, as farther occasion shall offer, and as 
your gifts and courage increase. 

9. Be not discouraged if your first experiments 
be not so successful as you desire. Many a Chris- 
tian has in time arrived at a glorious gift of prayer, 
who in their younger essays have been overwhelmed 
with bashfulness and confusion. Let not Satan 
prevail with you therefore to cast off this practice, 
and your hope, at once, by such a temptation as this. 

10. Make it the matter of your earnest requests 
to God, that you may be endowed with Christian 
courage, with a holy liberty of speech, and freedom 



472 GIFT OT PRAYER. 

of utterance, which the blessed apostle Paul often 
pTays for : And you have reason to hope, that he 
that gives every good and perfect gift, will not 
deny you that which is so necessary to the perform- 
ance of your duty. 

I proceed now to the fourth general direction, 
IV. Intreat the assistance of some kind Chris- 
tian friend, to give you notice of all irregulari- 
ties that yourselves may have been guilty of in 
prayers, especially in your first years of the prac- 
tice of this duty ; and esteem those the most valua- 
ble of your friends, who will put themselves to the 
trouble of giving you a modest and an obliging hint 
of any of your own imperfections : for it is not pos- 
sible that we ourselves should judge of the tone of 
our own voice, or the gestures that we ourselves 
use, whether they be agreeable to our fellow-wor- 
shippers or no. And in other instances also, our 
friends may form a more unbiassed judgment than 
ourselves, and therefore are fittest to be our correc- 
tors. 

For want of this, some persons, in their youth, 
have gained so ill a habit of speaking in public, 
and so many disorders have attended their exercise 
of the gift of prayer, ill tones, vicious accents, wild 
distortions of countenance, and divers other impro- 
prieties, which they carried with them all the years 
of their life, and have oftentimes exposed the wor- 
ship of God to contempt, and hindered the edifica- 
tion of those that join with them, rather than pro- 
moted it. 



GIFT OF PRAYER. 473 

V. Be frequent in the practice of tkiduty of 
prayer y not only in future, but ivith one another. 
For though every rule that I have before given, were 
fixed in your memories, and always at hand, yet 
without frequent practice, you will never attain to 
any great skill and readiness in this holy exercise. 

As our graces themselves, by being often tried 
and put upon action, become stronger, and shine 
brighter, give God more glory, and do more service 
to men: so will it fare with every gift of the Holy 
Spirit also ; it is improved by frequent exercise 
Therefore the apostle bids the yonng evangelist 
Timothy, that he should not neglect to stir up the 
gift that was in him, though it was a gift commu- 
nicated in an extraordrnary way, by the imposition 
of hands, 2 Tim. i. 6. And therefore it is, that 
some serious Christian, that have less knowledge, 
will excel persons of great learning and wit, and 
judgment, in the gift of prayer; because though 
they do not understand the rules so well, yet they 
practice abundantly more. And for the most part, 
if all other circumstances are equal, it will be found 
a general truth, that he that prays most, prays 
best. 

CHAP. III. 

OF THE GRACE OF PRAYER. 

In the two first chapters, I have finished what I 
proposed concerning the external parts of prayer ; 
I proceed now to take a short view of the internal 
and spiritual part of that duty ; and this has been 
usually called the grace of prayer. 



474 GRACE OF PRAYER. 

Here I shall endeavor to explain what it means, 
and show how properly that term is used : after* 
ward I shall particularly mention what are those in? 
ward and spiritual exercises of the mind, which 
are required in the duty of prayer, and then give 
directions how to attain them. 

But in the most part of this chapter I shall pass 
over things with much brevity, because it is not my 
design i# writing this book, to say over again what 
so many practical writers have said on these sub- 
jects. 

SECT. I. 

WHAT THE GRACE OF PRAYER IS, AND HOW IT 
DIFFERS FROM THE GIFT. 

Grace, in its most general sense, implies the free 
and undeserved favor of one person toward another 
that is esteemed his inferior. And in the language 
of the new testament, it is usually put to signify the 
favor and mercy of God toward sinful creatures, 
which upon all accounts is acknowledged to be free 
and undeserved. Now, because our natures are 
corrupt and averse to what is good, and whensoever 
they are changed and inclined to God and divine 
things, this is done by the power of God working 
in us ; therefore this very change of nature, this 
renewed and divine frame of mind, is called in the 
common language of Christians by the name of 
grace. 

If I were to write my thoughts of the distinction 
between the terms of virtue, holiness and grace, I 
should give them thus : 



GRACE OF PRAYER. 4t5 

Virtue generally signifies the mere materia! part 
of that which is good, without a particular refer- 
ence to God, as the principle or end thereof. 
Therefore the good dispositions and actions of the 
heathens were called virtues. And this word also 
is applied to sobriety, righteousness, charity, and 
every thing that relates to ourselves and our neigh- 
bors, rather than to religion and things that relate to 
divine worship. 

Holiness signifies all those good dispositions and 
Actions, with their particular reference to God as 
cheir end, to whose glory they are devoted and per- 
formed. The word holy signifies that which is de- 
voted, or dedicated. 

Grace denotes same dispositions, with a peculiar 
regard to God, as their principle, intimating that they 
proceed from his favor. 

Sometimes this word is used in a comprehensive 
sense, to signify the whole train of Christian vir- 
tues, or the universal habit of holiness. So may 
those texts be understood, John i. 16 ; Of his ful- 
ness we have received grace. 2 Peter La -18; 
Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. And so in our common language we 
say, such a person is a graceless wretch, he has no 
grace at all, i. e.,no good dispositions. We say 
such a one is truly gracious, or he has a principle 
of grace, i. e., he is a man of religion and virtue. 

Sometimes it is used in its singular sense, and 
means any one inclination or holy principle in the 
mind. So we say, the grace of faith, the grace of 



476 GHACE OF PRAYEB. 

repentance, ftie grace of hope, or love. 2 Cor, viii. 
7; Therefore as ye abound in faith, in knowledge, in 
your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also, 
i. e., liberality. 

Sometimes it is used in a sense a little more en- 
larged, but not universal, and it implies all those 
pious qualifications that belong to any one action or 
duty ; so we read of the grace that belongs to con- 
versation. Col. iv. 6 ; Let your speech be always 
with grace. The grace af singing, Col. iii. Sing- 
ing with grace in your hearts ; and the grace of di- 
vine worshp seems to be mentioned. Heb. xii. 28; 
Let us have grace whereby we may serve God ac- 
ceptably, with reverence, &c, and the grace of 
prayer. Zech. xii. 10 ; I will pour on the house 
of David the spirit of grace and supplications. 

The grace of prayer, in our common acceptation, 
is not any one single act or habit of mind, but it im- 
plies all those holy dispositions of soul, which are 
to be exercised in that part of divine worship. It 
consists in a readiness to put forth those several acts 
of the sanctified mind, will and affections, which 
are suited to the duty of prayer. 

Hence will appear the great difference that is 
betwixt the gift and grace of prayer. The gift is 
but the outside, the shape, the carcase of the duty. 
The grace is the soul and spirit, that gives it life, 
and vigor, and efficacy, that renders it acceptable to 
God, and of real advantage to ourselves. 

The gift chiefly consists in a readiness of thought 



GRACE OF PRAYER. 477 

agreeable to the several parts of prayer, and a fa- 
cility of expressing those thoughts in speaking to 
God. The grace consists merely in the inward 
working of the heart and conscience toward God 
and religion. The gift has a show and appearance 
of holy desires and affections ; but holy affections, 
sincere desires, and real converse with God, belong 
only to the grace of prayer. 

The gift and the grace are many times separa- 
ted one from the other ; and it hath been often found 
that the gift of prayer hath been attained in a great 
degree by study and practice, and by the common 
workings of the Spirit of God communicated to 
some persons, that have known nothing of true grace. 
There may be also the grace of prayer in lively 
exercise in some souls, that have but a very small 
degree of this gift, and that hardly know how to 
form their thoughts and desires into a regular 
method, or to express those desires in tolerable lan- 
guage. 

Concerning some persons it may be said, as in 
Matt. vii. 22, that though they could pour out abun- 
dance of words before God in prayer, though they 
could preach like apostles, or like angels, or cast 
out devils in the name of Christ, yet our Lord Je- 
sus knows them not, for they have no grace. On 
the other hand, there are some that are dear to God, 
that can but chatter and cry like a swallow or a 
crane, as Hezekiah did, and yet are in the lively 
exercise of the grace of prayer. But where both 
these, the gift and the grace, meet together i* one 



478 GRACE OF PRAYER. 

person, such a Christian brings honor to God, and 
has a greater capacity and prospect of doing much 
service for souls in the world ; he is made of great 
use to the edification and comfort of his fellow 
Christians. 

Those acts of the sanctified soul in all its powers, 
which are put forth in the duty of prayer, may be 
properly called so many graces of the holy spirit, 
drawn forth into exercise. And of those, some be~ 
long to the whole work and worship of prayer, and 
others are peculiar to the several parts of the duty. 



SECT. 2. 

GENERAL GRACES OF PRAYER. 

The graces that belong to the whole work or duty 
of prayer are such as these : 

1 . Faith or belief of the being of God, and his 
perfect knowledge, and his gracious notice of all 
that we speak in prayer. This rule the apostle 
gives, Heb. xi. 6; He that comes to God, must be- 
lieve that he is, and that he is a rewarder of all that 
diligently seek him. We should endeavor to im- 
press our minds frequently with a fresh and lively 
belief of God's existence, though he be so much 
unknown ; of his presence, though he be invisible; 
of his just and merciful regard to all the actions of 
men, and especially their religious affairs; that so 
prayer may not be a matter of custom and cere- 
mony, but performed with a design and hope of 
pleasing God, and getting some good from him. 
This exercise of a lively faith runs through every 



GRACE OF PRAYER. 479 

part of the duty, and gives spirit ana power to the 
whole worship. 

2. Gravity ) solemnity ', and seriousness of spirit. 
Let a light and trivial temper be utterly banished, 

when we come into the presence of God. When 
we speak to the great creator, who must also be our 
judge, about the concerns of infinite and everlasting 
moment, we ought to have our souls clothed with 
solemnity, and not to assume those airs which ar« 
lawful at other seasons, when we talk with our fel- 
low creatures about meaner affairs. A wantonness 
and vanity of mind ought never to be indulged in 
the least degree, when we come to perform any part 
of divine worship ; and especially when we, who 
are but dust and ashes, speak unto the great and 
dreadful God. 

3. Spirituality and heavenly-mindedness, should 
run through the whole of this duty. For prayer is 
a retirement from earth, and a retreat from our fel- 
low creatures to attend on God, and hold corres- 
pondence with him that dwells in Heaven. If our 
thoughts are full of corn and wine and oil, and the 
business of this life, we shall not seek so earnestly 
the favor and face of God, as becomes devout wor- 
shippers. The things of the world therefore must 
be commanded to stand by for a season, and to 
abide at the foot of the mount, while we walk up 
higher to offer up our sacrifices, as Abraham did ; 
and to meet our God. Our aims, and ends, and 
desires, should grow more spiritual, as we proceed 
in this duty. And though God indulges us to con- 
verse with him about many of our temporal affairs 



480 GRACE OF PRAYER. 

in prayer, yet let us take cure that the things of our 
souls, and the eternal world, always possess the 
chief room in our hearts. And whatsoever of the 
cares of this life enter into our prayers, and are 
spread before the Lord, let us see that our aims 
therein are spiritual, that our very desires of earthly 
comforts may be purified from all carnal ends, and 
sanctified to some divine purposes, to the glory of 
God, to the honor of the gospel, and the salvation 
of souls. 

4. Sincerity and uprightness of heart is another 
grace that must run through this worship. Whe- 
ther we speak to God concerning his own glories, 
whether we give him thanks for his abundant good- 
ness, or confess our various iniquities before him, 
or express our desire of mercy at his hand, still let 
our hearts and our lips agree, and not be found 
mockers of God, who searches the heart, and tries 
the reins, and can spy hypocrisy in the darkerst cor- 
ners of the soul. 

5. Holy watchfulness , and intention of mind 
upon the duty in which we are engaged ; this must 
run through every part of prayer. Our thoughts 
must not be suffered to wander among the creatures, 

.and rove to the ends of ihe earth, when we come to 
\converse with the high and holy God. Without 
this holy watchfulness we shall be in danger of leav- 
ing God in the midst of the worship, because the 
temptations that arise from Satan, and from our own 
hearts, are various and strong. Without this watch- 
fulness our worship will degenerate into formajity, 



GRACE OF PRAYER. ^ ML 3 

and we snai. nnd coldness and indifference creepng 
upon our spirits, and spoiling the success of our 
duties. Watch unto Prayer is a constant direction 
of the great Apostle. 

I might add to these, humility, and delignt, or 
pleasure, and other exercises of the sanctified affec- 
tions; but I- shall have occasion more properly to 
mention them under the next head, 

SECT. III. 

GRACES THAT BELONG TO PARTICULAR PARTS OF 
PRAYER. 

The graces that peculiarly belong to the several 
parts of prayer, are distinguished according to the 
parts of this duty, viz : 

I. Invocation, or calling upon God, requires a 
special awe of his majesty to attend it? and a deep 
sense of our meanness and unworthiness; and at 
the same time we should express holy wonder and 
pleasure, that the most High God, who inhabits 
eternity, will suffer such contemptible and worthless 
beings as we are to hold correspondence with him. 

II. The work of Adoration or praise, runs 
through the several attributes of the Divine nature, 
and requires of us the exercise of our various af- 
fections suited to those several attributes. As 
when we mention God's self-sufficiency and inde- 
pendency, it becomes us to be humble and acknowl- 
edge our dependence : when we speak of his pow- 
er, and of his wisdom, we should abase ourselves 
before him, because of our weakness and folly, as 

W 



4S2 GRACJl Of rtffttiftt 

well as stand in holy admiration at the infinity of 
those glories of God. When we mention his love 
and compassion, our souls should return much lave 
to him again, and have our affections going forth 
strongly towards him. When we think of his jus- 
tice, we should have a holy awe upon our Spirits, 
and a religious fear, suited to the presence of the 
just and dreadful God. And the thought of his 
forgiveness should awaken us to hope and joy. 

III. In the confession of our sorrows and our 
sins, humility is a necessary grace, and deep con- 
trition of soul, in the presence of that God whose 
laws we have broken, whose Gospel we have abused, 
whose majesty we have affronted, and whose ven« 
geance we have deserved. Here all the springs of 
repentance, should be set open, and we should mourn 
for sin, even at the same time that we hope iniqui- 
ty is forgiven, and our souls are reconciled to God. 
Rliame and self-indignation, and holy revenge 
against the corruptions of our hearts, should be awa- 
kened also in this part of prayer. 

IV. In our petitions we should raise our desires 
to such degrees of fervency, as the nature of our re- 
quests makes necessary. When we pray for the 
things of the upper world, and eternal blessings, 
we cannot be too warm in our desires : when we 
seek the mercies of life, the degree of fervency 
should be abated, for it is possible that we may be 
nappy, and yet go without many of the comforts of 
;he present state: submission is here required ; and 
God expects to see his children thus rationally re- 
Idnns, and wisely to divide the things that are 



GRACE OF PRAYER. 483 

most agreeable to his will, and most necessary ror 
our felicity. 

While we make intercession for our friends, or 
our enemies, we ought to feel in ourselves warm 
and lively compassion; and when we pray for the 
church of Christ in this world, we should animar* 
all with our burning zeal for his glory, and tender , 
ness for our fellow-Christians. 

V. Pleading with God, calls for humble impor 
tunity ; for the arguments that we use with God, 
in pleading with him, are but the various forms of 
importunate request. But because we are but crea 
tures, and we speak to God, humility ought to min- 
gle with every one of our arguments. Our plead- 
ings with him should be so expressed, as always to 
carry in them that decency, and that distance, that 
becomes creatures in the presence of their Maker. 
In pleading also we are required to exercise faith 
in the promises of the Gospel, faith in the name 
of Christ Jesus our mediator, faith in the mercies 
of our God, according to the discoveries he hath 
made of himself in his word. We are called to 
believe that he is a prayer hearing God, and will 
bestow upon us what we seek, so far as is necessa- 
ry for his glory, and our salvation. To believe 
that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek 
him, Heb. xi. 6. Here also the grace of hope 
comes into exercise ; for while we trust the prom- 
ises, we hope for the things promised, or the things 
for which we petition. We ought to maintain an 
humble holy expectation of those mercies for which 



484 GRACE OF PRAYER. 

we plead with God, We must direct our prayer to 
him, and look up, with David, Psalm v. 3, and 
with Habakkuk, "stand upon our watch-tower, and 
see what he will answer us," Hab. ii. 1. 

VI. In that part of prayer which is called pro* 
fession, or self-resignation, great humility is again 
required; a sweet submission to his will, a compo- 
^edness and quietness of Spirit under his determi- 
nations, even though, for reasons of infinite wis- 
dom and love, he withhold from us the particular 
comforts we seek. Here let patience have its per- 
fect exercise, and let the soul continue in an humble 
frame, waiting upon God, While we give np our- 
selves to God, a divine steadiness of soul should 
attend it, and the firmest courage of heart against 
all oppositions, while we confirm all our self-dedi- 
cations to the Lord. 

VII. In thanksgiving, a most hearty gratitude 
of soul is required, a deep sense of divine favors, 
and a readiness to return unto God according to his 
goodness, to the uttermost of our capacities ; a 
growing love to God, and sincere longing to do 
something for him, answerable to the variety and 
riches of his grace t©wards us. Here, also, with 
holy wonder, we acknowledge the condescension 
of God to bestow mercies upon us so unworthy ; 
and this wonder should arise and grow up into di- 
vine joy, while we bless our Maker for the mercies 
of this life, and our Father for an interest in his 
covenant and his special love. And in our thanks- 
(livings we should be stire to take notice of all re- 
turns of prayer, all merciful appearances of God in 



GRACE OF PRAYER. 4£5 

answer to our requests; for it is but a poor converse 
is maintained with God, if we are only careful 
about our speaking to him, but take no notice of 
any replies he condescends to make to our poor and 
worthless addresses. 

VII. When we bless God, we should shew an 
earnest longing after the honor of the name of God, 
and our souls should breathe fervently after the ac- 
complishment of those promises whereii^he hath 
engaged to spread his own honors, and to magnify 
his own name, and the name of his Son; w r e should 
as it were, exult and triumph in those glories, 
which God, our God possesses, and rejoice to think 
that he shall forever possess them. 

Then we conclude the whole prayer w r ith our 
Amen of sincerity and of faith , in one short word 
expressing over again our adorations, our confes- 
sions, and our petitions; trusting and hoping for the 
audience of our prayers, and acceptance of our per- 
sons, from whence we should take encouragement 
to rise from his duty with a sweet serenity and com- 
posure of mind, and maintain a joyful and heaven- 
ly frame, as those that have been with God. 

But lest some pious and humble souls should be 
discouraged, when they find not these lively exer- 
cises of faith, hope, love, fervency of desire, and 
divine delight in worship, and thence conclude that 
they have not the grace of prayer; I would add this 
caution, viz : that all the graces of prayer are sel- 
dom at work in the soul at once, in an eminent and 
sensible degree ; sometimes one prevails more, and 



486 DIRECTIONS TO ATTAIN 

sometimes another, in this feeble and imperfect 
state : and when a Christian comes before God with 
much deadness of heart, much overcome with car- 
nal thoughts, and feels great reluctancy ev r en to the 
duty of prayer, and falls down before God, mourn- 
ing, complaining, self-condemning, and wiih sighs 
and deep groans in secret, makes known his burthen 
and his sins to God ; though he can speak but few 
words before him, such a frame and temper of mind 
will be approved of by that God who judges the 
secrets of the heart, and makes most compassionate 
allowances for the infirmity of our flesh, and will 
acknowledge his ow r n grace working in that soul, 
though it be but just breathing and struggling up- 
ward through loads of sin and sorrow. 



SECT. IV. 

DIRECTIONS TO ATTAIN THE GRACE Bp PRAYER. 

In order to direct us in the spiritual performance 
of this duty, we must consider it as a holy converse 
maintained between earth and heaven, betwixt the 
great and holy God, and mean and sinful crea- 
tures. Now the most natural rules that I can 
think of, to carry on this converse, are such as these. 

Direct. 1. Possess your hearts with a most af- 
fecting sense of the characters of the two parties 
that are to maintain this correspondence; that is, 
God and yourselves. This indeed is one direction 
for the gift of prayers, but it is almost necessary to 
attain the grace. Let us consider w r ho this glorious 



THE GHACE OF PRAYER. 487 

Being is, that invites us to this fellowship with him- 
self; how awful in majesty! bow terrible in right- 
eousness ! how irresistible in power! how unsearch- 
able in wisdom! how all-sufficient in blessedness t 
how condescending in mercy ! Let us again con- 
sider, who are we that are invited to this correspon- 
dence: how vile in our original ! how guilty in our 
hearts and lives! how needy of every blessing! how 
utterly incapable to help ourselves ! and how mise- 
rable forever, if we are without God ! 

And if we have sincerely obej r ed the call of His 
gospel, and have attained to some comfortable hope 
of his love; let us consider, how infinite are our 
obligations to him, and how necessarj^, and how 
delightful is it to enjoy his visits here, with whom 
it will be our happiness to dwell for ever. When 
we feel our Spirits deeply impressed with such 
thoughts as these are, we are in the best frame, 
and most likely way to pray with grace in our 
hearts- 

Direct. 2. When you come before God, remem- 
ber the nature of this correspondent*,-, it is all 
spiritual; remember the dignity and jj.ivilege, the 
design, and the importance of it. 

A sense of the high favor, in being admitted to 
this privilege and honor, will fill your souls with 
humble wonder, and with heavenly joy, such as be- 
comes the favorites and worshippers of an infinite 
God. A due attendance to the design and impar- 
lance of this duty, will fix your thoughts to the 
©lost immovable attention, and strict watchfulness; 



480 BIRiCTIGNg TO ATTAI2T 

it will overspread your Spirit with seriousness, it 
will command all your inward powers to devotion, 
and will raise your desires to holy fervency. You 
pray to him that hath power to save and to destroy, 
about your eternal destruction, or eternal salvation; 
and if eternity, with all its attendants, will not wa- 
ken some of the graces of prayer, the soul must be 
in a very stupid frame. 

Direct. 3. Seek earnestly a state of friendship 
with him with whom you converse \ 9 and labor af- 
ter a good hope and assurance of that friendship. 
a We are all by nature enemies to God, and chil- 
dren of wrath/' Rom. vii. 7, and Ephes. ii. 2. If 
we are not reconciled, we can never hold commu- 
nion with him. How can we delight in converse 
with an enemy so Almighty? Or pay him due 
worship, while we believe he hates, and will de- 
stroy us? But oh! how unspeakable is the pleas- 
ure in holding converse with so infinite, so Al* 
ighty, and so compassionate a friend ? And how 
ready will all the powers of Nature be to render 
every honor to him, while w r e feel and know our- 
selves to be his favorites, and the children of his 
grace ? While we believe^ that all his honors are 
our glory in this state of friendship, and each of 
his perfections are pillars of our hope, and the as- 
surances of our happiness? 

Now, in order to obtain this friendship, and to 
promote this divine fellowship, I recommend vou 
to the next direction. 

Direct. 4. Live much %ipon % and with, Je$n% 



THB GRACK OP P»AYKR. 4OT 

the mediator, by whose Interest alone you cart 
come near God, and be brought into his company. 
Christ is the way. the truth, and the life : And no 
man comes to the Father, but by him, John xiv. 6. 
Through him Jews and Gentiles have access unto 
the Father, Ephes. ii. IS. Live much upon him 
therefore by trust and dependence, and live much 
with him by meditation and love. 

When a sinner under first conviction sees with 
horror the dreadful holiness of God, and his own 
guilt, and desert of damnation, how fearful is he to 
draw near to God in prayer? And how much dis- 
courged while he abides without hope? But whep . 
he first beholds Christ in his mediatorial offices, and 
his glorious all-sufficiency to save ; when he first 
beholds this new and living way of access to God, 
consecrated by the blood of Christ ; how cheerfully 
doth he come before the throne of God, and pour 
out his whole soul in Prayer? And how lively 
is his nature in the exercise of every grace suited to 
his duty ? How deep his humility? How fervent 
his desires? How importunate his pleadings? How 
warm and hearty are his thanksgivings? 

4nd we have need always to maintain upon our 
spirits a deep sense of the evil of sin, of our desert 
of death, of the dreadful holiness of God, and im- 
possibility of our converse with him without a 
mediator, that so the name of Jesus may be evei 
precious to us, and that we may never venture into 
the presence of God in set and solemn prayer, with- 
out the eye of our soul to Christ our glorious intro- 
duc^r. 



490 DIRECTIONS TO ATTAIlf, &C. 

Direct. 5. Maintain always a praying frames 
a temper of mind ready to converse with God. 
This will be one way to keep all praying graces 
ever ready for exercise. Visit him therefore often, 
and upon all occasions, with whom you would 
obtain some immediate communion at solemn 
seasons of devotion, and make the work of prayer 
your delight, nor rest satisfied till you find pleasure 
ink. 

What advantages and opportunities soever you 
enjoy for social prayer, do not neglect praying in 
secret ; at least once a day constrain the businesses 
of life, to give you leave to say something to God 
alone. 

When you join with others in prayer, where you 
are not the speaker, let your heart be kept intent 
and watchful to the work, that you may pray so 
much the better, when you are the mouth of others 
to God. 

Take frequent occasion, in the midst of your du- 
ties in the world, to lift up your heart to God. He 
is ready to hear a sudden sentence, and will answer 
the breathing of a holy soul towards himself, in the 
short intervals or spaces betwixt your daily affairs. 
Thus you may pray without ceasing, as the apostle 
directs, and your graces may be ever lively. Whereas 
if you only make your addresses to God in the 
morning and evening, and forget him all the day, 
your hearts will grow indifferent in worship, and 
you will only pay a salutation with your lips and 
your knees, and fulfil the talk with dull formality. 



THE SPIRIT O* PRAYER. 491 

Direct. 6. Seek earnestly the assistance of the 
Holy Spirit. It is he that works every grace in 
us, and fits us for every duty; it is he that awakens 
sleeping graces into exercise ; it is he that draws 
the soul near to God, and teaches us this correspon- 
dence with heaven. He is the spirit of grace and 
supplication ; but because this is the subject of the 
following chapter, I shall pursue it no farther here. 

CHAP. 1,. 

OF THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER. 

All the rules and directions that have hitherto 
been laid down, in order to teach us to pray, will 
be ineffectual, if we have no divine aids ; we are 
not sufficient of ourselves to think one thought, and 
all that is good comes from God. If therefore we 
would attain the gift or grace of prayer, we must 
seek both from Heaven; and since the mercies of 
God of this kind, that are bestowed on men, are 
usually attributed to the Holy Spirit, he may very 
properly be called the Spirit of Prayer ; and as 
such, his assistance is to be sought with diligence 
and importunity. 

I confess, the Spirit of Prayer, in our language, 
may sometimes signify a temper of mind well fur- 
nished and ready for the work of prayer. So when 
we say, There was a greater spirit of prayer found 
in churches in former days than now ; we mean there 
was a greater degree of the gift and grace of prayer 
found amonst men; their hearts and their tongues 
were better furnished and fitted for this duty. But 



492 PROOFS OF THE SPIRIT^ AID. 

to deny the Spirit of Prayer in all other senses, 
and declare there is no need of any influences from 
the Holy Spirit to assist us to pray, carries in it a 
high degree of self-sufficiency, and borders upon 
profaneness. 

My business therefore, in this chapter, shall be 
to prove, by plain and easy arguments, that the 
Spirit of God doth assist his people in prayer. 
Then to show what his assistances are, and how 
far they extend, that we may not expect more from 
him than scripture promises,nor attribute too little to 
his influences. And after a few cautions laid down, 
I shall proceed to give some directions how the aids 
of the Holy Spirit may be obtained* 



SECT, x 

PROOFS OF THE ASSISTANCE OF THE SPIRIT OF 
GOB IN PRAYER. 

The methods of proof which I shall use to evince 
the influence of the spirit of God in prayer, are 
these three: 1. Express texts of scripture. 2. Col- 
lateral texts. 3. The experience of Christians. 

1 . The first argument is drawn from such express 
texts of scripture as these. 

1. Text. Zee. xii. 10, I will pour out on the 
house of David, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 
a spirit of grace, and of supplications. Here the 
Holy Spirit of God is called a spirit of supplica- 
tion, with respect to the special operations and ends 
for which he is here promised. The plentiful com- 
munication of his operations to men, is often ex- 
pressed by pouring him out npon them, as isa. xKv. 



PROOFS 09 THE fPHUT*0 AID* 493 

3; Prov. i. 23; Tit. iii. 6, and many other places. 
Now that this prophecy refers to the times of the 
gospel is evident, because the effect of it is a looking 
to Christ as pierced or crucified. The shall look 
on him whom they have pierced. 

Objection. Some will say this promise only 
refers to the Jews at the time of their conversion. 

Answer. Most of these exceeding great and pre- 
cious promises, that relate to gospel times, are 
made expressly to Jacob, and Israel, and Jerusa- 
lem, and Zion, in the language of the old testament. 
And how dreadfully should we deprive ourselves, 
and all the Gentile believers, of all those gracious 
promises at one stroke, by such a confined exposi- 
tion? Whereas the apostle Paul sometimes takes 
occasion to quote a promise of the old testament 
made to the Jews, and applies it to the Gentiles, as 
2 Cor. vi. 16, 17,18; 1 will dwell in them, and 
walk among them, and I will be their God, and 
they shall be my people ; which is written for the 
Jews, in Levit. xxvi. 12, come out from among 

them touch no unclean thing and I will 

be a Father to you, &c, which are cited from Isa 
lii. 11, and Jer. xxxi. 1, 9, where Isreal alone is 
mentioned. And yet in 2 Cor. vii. 1, the apostle 
gays, Having therefore these promises, dearly be- 
loved, let us cleanse ourselves, &c. And thus he 
makes the Corinthians as it were possessors of these 
very promises. He gives us also much encourage- 
ment to do the same, when he tells us, Rom. xv. 4, 
Whatsoever tilings were written aforetime, were 



434 *»oofs m ths spirit's aid. 

written for our learning, that we through patience 
and comfort of the scriptures might have hope 
And verse 8, 9, he assures us, that Jesus Christ con- 
firms the promises made to the Fathers, that the 
Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy. Again, 
in 2 Cor. i. 20, All the promises of God in him are 
yea, and in him Amen, to the glory of God. Now 
it would have been to very little purpose to have told 
the Romans or the Corinthians of the stablity of all 
the promises of God, if their faith might not have 
embraced them. 

We are said to be blessed with faithful Abraham, 
if we are imitators of his faith, Gal. iii. 29. If 
we are Christ's, then are we Abraham's seed, and 
heirs according to the promise ; heirs by faith of the 
same blessing that are promised to Abraham, and to 
his seed, Rom. iv. 13. Now this very promise, 
the promise of the spirit, is received by us Geutiles, 
as heirs of Abraham, Gal. iii. 14. That the bles- 
sing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through 
Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of 
the spirit through faith. Being interested therefore 
in his covenant, we have a right to the same promi- 
ses, so far as they contain grace in them, that may 
be properly communicated to us. And therefore 
the house of David, in this prophecy of Zachariah, 
doth not only signify the natural descendants oij 
David the King, but very properly includes the fam- 
ily of Christ, the true David; believers that are 
his children, and inhabitants of Jerusalem, and 
members of the true church, whether they were 



FROOFSOF THB SPIRIT'S AID. 405 

originally Jews or Gentiles. But in Christ Jesus 
men are not known by these distinctions, there is 
neither Jew nor Greek, Gal. iii. 28. 

2. Text. Luke xi. 13; After Christ had an- 
swered the request of his disciples, and taught them 
how to pray, by giving them a pattern of prayer, 
he recommends them to ask his Father for the Holy 
Spirit, in order to a fuller and farther assistance and 
instruction in this work of prayer, as the whole 
context aeems to intimate. 

3. Text. Rom. viii. 26; The spirit helpeth our 
infirmities, for we know not what to pray for as we 
ought, but the spirit itself maketh intercession foi 
us with groanings which cannot be uttered. This 
cannot be interpreted as though the Holy Spirit as- 
sumed the work of Christ, who is our proper inter- 
cessor and advocate ; for the spirit not being clothed 
with hum-m nature, cannot properly be represented 
under such an inferior character, as the nature of 
prayer or petition seems to imply ; whereas our Lord 
Jesus Christ, being man as well as God, may pro- 
perly assume the character of a petitioner. The 
business of the Holy Spirit therefore is, to teach and 
help us to plead with God in prayer, for the things 
which we want. And this will appear evidently by 
the next scripture. 

4. Text. Gal. iv. 6. God has sent the spirit of 
his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 
That is,- the Spirit of God inclines and teaches us 
to address God in prayer, as our Father. And so 
it is explained, Rom. viii. 15. Ye have received 



496 PROOFS OF THE SPXRIT*S AID 

the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Fa- 
ther. It may be noted here, that this spirit of adop. 
tion belongs to every Christian in more or less de- 
grees, otherwise the Apostle's reasoning would noi 
appear strong and convincing. Because ye are sons, 
he hath sent forth the spirit of the Son, &c 

5. Text. Eph. vi. 11. Praying always with all 
prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching 
thereunto with all preferences. These words en 
onenmati [in the Spirit,] have reference to the work 
of the Spirit of God in us, for so the words en 
oneumati signifies in other places of the New Tes- 
tament; Matt. xii. 28. I cast out devils by the 
Spirit of God. Luke ii. 29. He came by the 
Spirit into the temple. 1 Cor. xii, 8, 9. To one is 
given, by the Spirit, the word of wisdom, to anoth- 
er knowledge,, by the Spirit, &c. In this verse of 
the Epistle to the Ephesians, it cannot properly sig- 
nify praying with our own spirit, that is, with the 
intention of our own minds, because that seems to 
be implied in the next words, watching thereunto. 

Objection. Some will say still, that this praying 
in the spirit was to be performed by an extraordi- 
nary gift, which was communicated to the Apostles, 
and many others in the first ages of Christianity* 
Something like the gift of tongues at Pentecost, and 
various gifts among the Corinthians, when they 
prayed, and preached, and sung by inspiration, 1 
Cor. xiv. 

Answer. Whatsoever there was of extraordina- 
ry and miraculous communications of the spirit in 






PROOFS OF THE SPIRIT'S AID* 497 

those first days of the gospel, we pretend not to the 
same now. But the assistances of the Spirit, 
whereof we speak, are in some measure attainable 
by Christians in all ages ; for in this Eph. vi. 18. 
Praying in the spirit is enjoined to all believers, 
and at all times, with all sorts of prayer. Now it 
is not to be supposed, that at all times, and in all 
sorts of prayer, Christians should have this extra- 
ordinary gift. 

We may also farther remark, that the gift of 
prayer itself is not expressed as such an extraor- 
dinary and miraculous gift, neither in the prophecy 
of Joel, Chap, ii., nor in Acts, Chap, ii., where that 
prophecy of Joel is accomplished; nor is it men- 
tioned particularly in the Epistles of St. Paul, 
among the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, in 
those places where they are enumerated. But only 
the gift of prayer in an unknown tongue seems to 
be spoken of in 1 Cor. xiv. which rather refers to 
the gift of tongues, than to that of prayer. And 
it is not unlikely that the omission or silence of the 
gift of prayer in those texts, might be designed for 
this very purpose, viz : That though there were 
gifts of prayer by immediate inspiration in those 
days ; yet that there should be no bar laid against 
the expectation of Christians in all ages, of some 
divine assistances in prayer, by a pretence that this 
was only an extraordinary gift to the Apostles, and 

the first Christians. 

6. Text. James v. 16., w r hich we translate tne 
effectual fervent prayer of the righteous. In the 



498 PROOFS OP THE SPIRIT^ AID. 

original it is the inwrought prayer. This word is 
used to signify persons possessed with a good or evil 
spirit, and it signifies here, prayer wrought in us 
by the good spirit that possesses us, that leads us 
and guides m* And the word is used in this sense 
several times in 1 Cor. 12. where the gifts of the 
Holy Spirit are spoken of. Yet let it be observed, 
that here the Apostle is speaking of such an in- 
wrought prayer as all Christians might be capable 
of ; for his Epistle is directed to all the scattered 
tribes of Israel, James i. I., and he bids them all 
confess their faults to one another, and pray for one 
another, that they might be healed ; and for this 
reason, because the inwrought prayer of the Right- 
eous availeth much 

The last text I shall mention is Jude, ver. 20. 
Praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the 
love of God. Now this Epistle is written to all 
that are sanctified in God the Father, preserved and 
called in Jesus Christ, ver. 1. They are all di- 
rected to pray by the assistance of the Holy Ghost. 
And those who have not this spirit, in ver. 19. are 
said to be sensual 

I confess, the Holy Spirit hath been in a great 
measure so long departed from his churches, that we 
are tempted to think, that all his operations, in ex- 
hortation, in prayer, and preaching, belong only to 
the first age of Christianity, and to the extraordi- 
nary ministers, prophets, and Apostles; and it was 
from this absence of the spirit, that men proceeded 
to invent various methods to supplant the want of 



PROOFS OP THE SPIRIT'^ AID. 499 

him in prayer, by pater-nosters, beads, litanies, 
responses, and other forms, some good and some 
bad, to which they confined the churches, to keep 
up the form of worship, and the attention of the 
people ; and at best, we are left by many teachers 
to the use of our mere natural powers, our reason 
and memory : And hence spring those reproachful 
expressions about the spirit of prayer, and the end- 
less labors of men to make this word signify only 
the temper and disposition of the mind : so the 
spirit of adoption, in their sense, is nothing but a 
child-like temper, and the spirit of prayer means 
nothing else but a praying frame of heart. 

But since seme texts expressly speak of the Holy 
Spirit, as working these things in us, since in manj 
scriptures the Spirit of God is promised to be given 
us, to dwell in us, and be in us, and to assist in 
prayer; why should we industriously exclude him 
from the hearts of the saints, and thrust him out of 
the Scriptures, wheresoever the words will possi- 
bly endure any other sense? It is in my opinion 
much more natural and reasonable, for us to inter- 
pret those places where the spirit is mentioned, ac- 
cording to the plain language of clear texts, where 
the name of God's own spirit is written. 

However, if a man will but allow the Spirit of 
God, and his assistances in prayer, to be mentioned 
in any one text of Scripture, so far as to be per- 
suaded and encouraged thereby, to seek those assist- 
ances that he may pray better; I will not be angry 
with him. that he can't find this spirit in every text 
where others believe he is spoken of and designed. 



600 

II. The second argument for the aids of the 
Holy Spirit in prayer, is drawn from collateral 
Scriptures, and such are all those texts which re- 
present the blessed spirit as the spring of all that is 
good in us, and show us that all other duties of the 
Christian life are to be performed in and by this 
Holy Spirit. Saints are born of this spirit, John 
iii. 6. Are led by the spirit, Rom. viii. 14. Walk 
in the spirit, Gal. v. 16. Live in the spirit, ver. 
25. By this spirit mortifying the deeds of the body, 
Rom. viii. 13. The spirit convinces of sin, John 
xvi. 9. and fits us for confession. The spirit wit- 
nesseth with our spirits that we are the children oft 
God, Rom. viii. 16., and thereby furnishes us with 
thanksgivings. The spirit sanctifies us, and fills us 
with love, and faith, and humility, and every grace 
that is needful in the work of prayer. Why then 
should men take so much pains to hinder us from 
praying by the spirit, when it is only by this spirit 
We can walk with God, and have access to God, 
Eph. ii. 18. 

III. The third argument to prove that tne spirit 
of God doth sometimes assist men in the w r ork of 
prayer is, the experience of all Christians with re- 
gard to the grace of prayer, and many Christians 
in the exercise of the gift of it too. The great 
difference between some believers and others in this 
respect, even where their natural abilities are equal; 
and the difference that is between believers them- 
selves at different times and seasons, seems to denote 
the presence : *>* absence of the Holy Spirit. Som* 



PROOFS OF THK SPIRIT 8 AID. 501 

persons at some special seasons will break out into 
g divine rapture in prayer, and be carried far be- 
yond themselves : their thoughts, their desires, their 
language a ad everything that belongs to their prav- 
fr. seem* to have something of Heaven it. 

I WiH allow that in some persons this may be 
ascribed to a great degree of understanding, inven- 
tion, fancy, memory, and natural affections of the 
mind, and volubility of the tongue : but many times 
also it shall be observed, that those persons who 
have this gift of prayer in exercise, do not excel 
nor equal the rest of their neighbors in fancy, in- 
vention, passion or eloquence ; it may be, they are 
persons of very mean parts, and below the common 
capacity of mankind. 

Nor can it be always imputed to an overflow of 
animal nature, and warm imagination, at those times 
when they are carried out in prayer thus beyond 
themselves; for this happens sometimes when they 
find their natural spirits not raised nor exalted, but 
the powers of nature labor perhaps under a decay 
and great languishings, anchthey can hardly speak 
or think about common affairs. I wish these testi- 
monies to the aids of the Holy Spirit were more 
frequent amongst us 

Reflex. And it may be remarked, that those who 
ctespise this gift of the Holy Spirit, will deride the 
persons that pretend to any share of it, as foolish, 
stupid, ignorant wretches, and will represent them 
generally as unlearned and sottish creatures, dull 
and unthinking: and yet when this objection is 



'602 PROOFS 09 TilK SPiiUT's AID. 

made, whence conies this fluency? this fervor, and 
this wonderful ability of pouring out the soul before 
God in prayer, which the scoffers themselves can't 
imitate? Oh! then it is attributed to our wit, our 
memory, our invention, our fancy, our vehement 
affections, our confidence, or impudence, to any 
thing rather than to the Spirit of God, because they 
are resolved to oppose his power, and deny his work 
in the hearts of believers. 

I might here add citations from the articles and 
Liturgy of the church of England, to confirm the 
doctrine of the aids of the Holy Spirit in our reli- 
gious performances. We have no power to do good 
works, pleasant and acceptable to God, without thd 
grace of God by Christ preventing us, that we may 
have a good-will, and working with us when we 
have that good-will, Art. 10. The working of the 

spirit -drawing up the mind to high and heaven^ 

ly things, Art. 17. And this ordinary work of the 
Holy Spirit in all believers, is called the inspira- 
tion of the Holy Spirit, Art. 13. O God from 
whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all 
just works do proceed : second collect at evening 
prayer. And a little after; Almighty God who 
hast given us grace to make our common supplica- 
tions. And in the collect the fifth Sunday after 

Easter — grant that by thy inspiration w r e may 

think those things that be good, and by th} merci- 
ful guiding may perform the same. Again Almighty 
God, of whose only gift it cometh that thy faithful 
people dn unto the true and laudable service, 13th 



paa&rs n~ the spirit** aij>. 603 

Sunday alter Trinity. Grant that thy Holy Spirit 
may in all things direct and rule our hearts, 19th 
Sunday after Trinity. Homiiy 16th, p. T, 2, as- 
serts the secret and mighty working of God's Holy 
Spirit which is within us: for it is the Holy Ghost 
and no other thing. L-tirring up good and godiy mo- 
tions in their heart. Many more expressions of 
this might be collected from the homilies and pub- 
lic prayers of the church of England. So that one 
would thin'; none of that communion should throw 
reproach and scandal upon the assistances of the 
Holy Spirit in good works and religious duties. 



SECT. I 

HOW THE SPIRIT ASSISTS US IN PHAYEB 

It is evident then, that there is such a thing as 
the assistance of the spirit of God in the worK of 
prayer, but how far this assistance extends, is a far- 
ther subject of inquiry : and it is very necessary to 
have a just notion of the nature and bounds of this 
divine influence, that we may not expect more than 
God has promised, nor sit down negligently con- 
tented without such degrees as may be attained. 

Persons in this, as in most other cases, are very 
ready to run away with extremes. They either at- 
tribute too much or too little to the Holy Spirit. 

In my judgment, those persons attribute too little 
to the spirit of prayer. 

Who say there is no more assistance to be 
expected in prayer, than in any ordinary and 
common affair of life ; as when the plowman 



604 HOW FAR THB SPIRIT 

"breaks the clods of his ground, and casts in the 
wheat and the barley, his God doth instruct him to 
discretion, and teach him," Isa. xxviii. 24, 25, 26. 
But this is, in effect, to deny his special influences. 

2. Those who allow the Spirit of God merely 
to excite some holy motions in the heart while 
they pray, and to awaken something of grace into 
exercise, according to the words of a prayer ; but 
that he does nothing towards our obtaining the abil- 
ity or gift of praying, nor at all assists us in the ex- 
ercise of the gift with proper matter, method, or 
expression. 

I persuade myself, the Scriptures cited in the fore- 
going section, concerning praying in the Spirit, 
can never be explained this way in their full mean- 
ing ; and I hope to make it apparent in this section, 
that the Holy Spirit hath more hand in prayer, than 
both these opinions allow, 

I think also on the other hand, those persons ex- 
pect too much from the Spirit in our day 

1; Who wait for all their inclinations to pray 
from immediate and present dictates of the Spir- 
it of God; who will never pray but w r hen the Spirit 
moves them. I find in Scripture frequent exhorta- 
tions to pray, and commands to pray always, i. e., 
to pray upon all occasions; yet I find no promise 
nor encouragement to expect the Holy Spirit will 
by sudden and immediate impulses in a sensible 
way, dictate to me every season of prayer. For 
though the Spirit of God should sometimes with- 
draw himself in his influences, yet my duty and ob- 
ligation to constant prayer still remain. 



ASSISTS U3 IN PRAYER. 80S 

2. Those who expect such aids of the Holy Spun* 
it, as to make their prayers become the proper 
w*rk of inspiration-; such as the prayers of Da- 
vid and Moses, and others recorded in Scripture. — 
Let us not be so fond as to persuade ourselves that 
these workings of the Holy Spirit in ministers, qf 
in common Christians, while they teach, or exhort 
or pray, arise to the character of those miraculous 
gifts that were given to the Apostles and primitive 
believers; such as are described in the church of 
Corinth, and elsewhere. For at those times & 
whole sermon, or a whole prayer together, was a 
constant impulse of the Holy Spirit, perhaps for 
the words as well as all the matter of it, which 
made it truly divine. But in our prayers, the Spirit 
of God leaves us much to ourselves, to mingle ma- 
ny weaknesses and defects with our duties, both in 
the matter, and in the manner, and in the words; so 
that we cannot say of one whole sentence, that it is 
the perfect or the pure work of the Spirit of God. 
And we should run the danger of blasphemy, to en- 
title the Spirit of God to every thing that we speak 
in prayer, as well as to exclude all his assistance 
from all the prayers of the saints in our day. 

3. Those who hope for such influences of the 
Spirit as to render their own study and labors 
needless; who never have given diligence to furnish 
themselves in a rational way with an ability to pray 
upon presumption of those divine impulses ; nor 
upon any occasion w r ill premeditate beforehand, but 
rush upon the duty, as Peter went out at Christ's 

A. 



ftOff HOW FAR THE SPIRIT 

command to walk upon the water, and hope to be 
Upheld and carried through all the duty without 
their own forethought : they will cite the text which 
wai given to the disciples, Matt. x* 19. "When 
they deliver you up, take no thought how or what 
ye shall speak, for it shall be given you in that 
game hour, what ye shall speak." But this text 
has quite another design. 

It may be questioned whether this word of Christ 
forbids them all premeditation, but only an anxious 
and solicitous fear and care, as we are bid to "take 
no thought for the morrow," Matt. vi. 34, i. e. 
Be not over-solicitous or disquieted about provision 
for the morrow. But if Christ did utterly forbid 
them all preparation, yet that cr imand and prom- 
ise to the Apostles in miraculous times, when they 
should appear before magistrates, can never be giv- 
en to encourage the sloth a~vd laziness of every com- 
mon Christian in our day, when he appears in wor- 
ship before God. 

Now in order to find the happy medium between 
these two extremes, of attributing too much or too 
^little to the Spirit of prayer, I have diligently 
consulted the Word of God : and so far as I am 
able to judge or determine, his assistance in prayer 
may be reduced to the following particulars. 

1 . He bestows upon us our natural capacities, 
some degree of understanding, judgment, memory, 
invention and natural affections; some measure of 
confidence and liberty of speech, and readiness to 
titter the conceptions of our mind. 



ASSISTS US IN PRAYER. 607 

And this he doth to believers in common witl 
Other minds, for "every good gift comes from God," 
James i. 17. And in a particular manner the third 
person in the Trinity, the Holy Ghost, is generally 
represented as the agent in such sort of operations, 
especially where they relate to religion. 

II. He blesses our diligence in reading, hear 
ing, meditation, study, and attempts of prayer, 
whereby, while we attend to useful rules and in- 
structions, we treasure up a store of matter for this 
duty, and learn by degrees to express our thoughts 
with propriety and decency, to our own and others 
edification. T* hus he adds a blessing to our studies 
in order to grow in the knowledge of the things of 
God as Christians; and in the learning of tongues 
to interpret Scripture, and in the holy skill of ex- 
hortation, in order to become able ministers. 

All these are called spiritual gifts, because (as 
is before shown) in the primitive times, they were 
given on the sudden, in an extraordinary manner, 
without laborious study to acquire them; but in our 
day, these are to be obtained and improved by la- 
bor and use, by repeated trials, by time and expe- 
rience, and the ordinary blessing of the Spirit of 
God : and the same must be said concerning the 
gift of prayer. He sanctifies memory, to treasure 
up such parts of the Holy Scripture as are proper 
to be used in prayer; he makes it faithful to retain 
them, and ready in the recollection of them at prop- 
er seasons. If men become skillful in any faculty, 
and especially that belongs to religion, it is justly 



508 HOW FA* THE SPIRIT 

attributed to God and his Spirit; for if be teaehes 
the plowman to manage wisely in sowing and reap- 
ing, Isa. xxviii. 26, 29, much more doth he teach 
the Christian to pray. He divides to every one 
what gifts he pleases, and works according to his 
good pleasure, 1 Cor. xii. from verse 4 to ver. 11. 
All secondary helps and means, when well attend- 
ed to and well applied, are made successful by his 
powerful benediction. And we may say to those 
Christians who have the greatest gifts in prayer, 
"who made thee to differ from another? and what 
hast thou, that thou hast not received?" 1 Cor. iv. 7, 
For if "we live not by bread alone, but by every 
word (of power and blessing) that proceeds from 
the mouth of God," Mat. iv. 4, much more may 
we say concerning the spiritual improvements of 
the mind, that they are not attained by our labor 
alone, but by the good Spirit of God making our 
labor prosperous. 

III. He inclines our hearts to pray, and keeps 
them intent upon the work. By nature there is in 
all men an estrangedness from God, and there is too 
much of it remaining in the best. There is a nat- 
ural reluctance to the duties of immediate commu 
nion with God, and a weariness in them. It is on 
\y the Spirit of God that works a heavenly frame 
in us, that makes us ready to pray always, and ex- 
cites us to take occasion from the several concerns 
of our souls, or from the affairs of life, to go to the 
mercy-seat and to abide there. It is he that kindly 
and secretly suggests, "now is the accepted time." 



ASSISTS US IN PRAYJER. 009 

The Spirit says to the soul secretly, "seek my face," 
and the soul replies, "Thy face, O God, will I 
seek," Psal. xxvii. 8. "The Spirit saith, come,' 
to God by prayer, as well as to Christ by faith, 
Rev. xxii. 19. It is he that enlarges the desires to- 
wards God, and gives silent intimations of audience 
and acceptance. By his good motions he overcomes 
our delay, and answers the carnal objections of our 
sinful and slothful hearts. He gives our Spirits 
liberty for the work, as well as in it, and recalls our 
thoughts when wandering from God in worship, 
whether they be drawn away by our eyes, or our 
ears, or our busy fancies, or the suggestions of the 
Evil One. It is the Holy Spirit that holds us to 
the duty, in opposition to all discouragements, and 
makes us wrestle and strive with God, "in prayer, 
pour out our hearts before him," and "stir up our- 
selves to take hold of him," agreeably to the lan- 
guage of those Scriptures, Gen. xxxii. 24, Rom. 
xv. 30, Psal. lxii. 8, Isa. lxiv. 7. Now the 
means which the Spirit of God generally uses to 
bring us to prayer, and keep us to the duty, is by 
working in our souls a lively sense of the necessity 
and advantage of it, or giving us some refreshment 
and delight, in and by it. 

And if when we are engaged in our worldly af- 
fairs, or in Divine worship, the devil is permitted 
by sudden violent impressions on the fancy, to draw 
our hearts away to sinful objects, why should not it 
be counted a strange thing that the blessed Spirit 
should cast in holy motions and encouragements to 
the duty? 



610 HOW FAR THE SPIRIT 

IV. He oftentimes , by his secret teachings, sup* 
plies us with the matter of prayer. This is the 
express language of Holy Scripture, Rom. viii. 28. 
"The Spirit helpeth our infirmities; for we know 
not what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit it- 
self maketh intercession for us," — and that "accord- 
ing to the mind or will of God," ver. 27. All the 
senses that the wit of man has contrived to put up- 
on this Scripture, to exclude the work of the Spirit 
of God, are very much forced and strained, to make 
them signify any thing else. 

It is plain that we "know net what is good" for 
ourselves, Eccles. vi. 12 ; and we of ourselves 
should often ask for things hurtful to us, James iv. 
3. We are not acquainted with our own wants, 
nor the method of our relief. It is the Spirit that 
must convince us of sin and righteousness; of our 
sin, and the righteousness of Christ, John xvi. 9. 
He is a Spirit of illumination in all the affairs of 
religion: it is he al©ne "that searches the deep 
things of God," that knows "what God hath pre- 
pared" for believers, 1 Cor. ii. 9. And therefore 
he makes intercession, or teaches us to pray for 
things agreeably to the Divine will and purpose. 
He now and then also gives a hint of some argu- 
ment to plead with God; either in the name or me- 
diation of Christ, or some of his own promises in 
the gospel; for he promised to "take of the things 
of Christ, and shew them unto us," John xiv. 26. 
and John xvi. 13, 14, 15. It is he that brings di- 
vine things to our remembrance : such things as are 



ASSISTS US IN PRAYE*. 611 I 

suited to the several parts of prayer. He sets the 
glory and the majesty of God before our eyes, and 
furnishes us with matter for adoration. By bring- 
ing sin to our remembrance, he fits us for confession; 
and by causing us to reflect on our many mercies, 
richly supplies us with thanksgivings. 

Now, since the Evil Spirit is said to pluck the' 
good "seed of the Word (of God) out of the heart," 
Mat. xiii. 19 ; why may we not suppose the good 
Spirit to put good thoughts into the heart, to pre- 
pare and furnish us for such a duty as prayer? And 
such kind of influences as these, are called the good 
motions of the Spirit of God, which Christians of 
almost every sect and persuasion will allow in some 
degree. 

V. When the Spirit of God supplies us largely 
with matter in prayer, he doth in some measure 
influence the method too. 

Method is but the disposition of the materials of 
a prayer one after another. Now as it is impossi- 
ble our tongues should speak all these together, so 
it is not possible our minds should receive all the 
kind hints of them from the Spirit at once, but suc- 
cessively one after the other, as seems good to him. 
Sometimes he fills our souls with so deep and peni- 
tent a sense of our past sins, that we break out be- 
fore God into humble confessions in the very begin- 
ning of prayer : "O Lord I am vile, what shall 1 
answer thee ? Mine iniquities are gone over my 
head, and the number of them is infinite." And 
perhaps the soul dwells upon its humiliations, 
through almost all the time of worship 



512 ~~ HOW FAR THE SPIRIT 

At another time the Spirit works as the Spirit of 
joy and thanksgiving ; and the first words the lips 
utter, are the language of gratitude and praise: "I 
thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that 
though the mysteries of the gospel are hidden from 
the wise and prudent, yet thou hast revealed them 
unto babes. " 

Sometimes the soul is so inflamed with desire af- 
ter such a particular grace or mortification of som<* 
special sin, that almost from every part of prayer, 
from adoration, confession, thanksgiving, &c, it 
will fetch some argument for bestowing that mercy; 
and at every turn insert that special petition, enforc- 
ing it with new arguments and pleadings. 

Thus though the beautiful connexion of one sen- 
tence with another, and the smooth and easy trans- 
ition from one part of prayer to another, be left 
much to ourselves; yet the mere order of those ma- 
terials, which the Holy Spirit gives in, while we 
pray, will be in some degree under his direction or 
influence. And if we may understand those words 
of Elihu in a literal sense, Job xxxvii. 19; we 
have need of assistance in matter, method, and eve- 
rything, when we speak to God; and may well cry 
out, Lord, teach us what we should say to thee, 
for we cannot order our speech by reason of dark- 
ness; we need light and instruction from thee, to 
frame our speeches, and to put them in order. 

VL The Spirit may be said to give some assist- 
ance also toward apt and proper expression in 
prayer. For he concurs in an ordinary way to the 



ASSISTS US IN PRAYER. 513> 

Exercise of our natural and acquired faculties of 
knowledge, memory, vivacity of spirit, readiness ii 
speech and holy confidence, whereby we express 
those thoughts which he hath excited in us in a be- 
coming manner. And this he doth also in preach- 
ing, and conferring upon the things of God, and 
this more eminently in the work of prayer; so that 
hereby a believer is able at sometimes to pour out 
his soul, before God, with a fulness of thought, 
and variety of expression, to the great comfort of 
his own soul, and the edification of his fellow-wor- 
shippers. St. Paul speaks of this boldness and. ut- 
terance as a spiritual gift. 1 Cor. i. 5, and 2 Cor. 
viii. 7. And he often prayed for this confidence 
and freedom of speech, this parresia in preaching, 
Eph. vi. 19. Col. iv. 3, 4, And we also have 
reason to ask it of God in prayer ; for it is neces 
sary also in that duty for carrying on the work of 
grace in our hearts, and the building up of the 
church, the body of Christ, for which all gifts are 
given. 

I might add also, that as the Holy Spirit fre- 
quently, by secret hints, supplies us with the matter 
of prayer, he by that very means assists us toward 
expression ; for expression is but the clothing our 
thoughts or ideas in proper words. Now in this 
state, where the soul and body are so united, the 
most part of the ideas and conceptions of our mind 
are so joined to w r ords, that words arise as it were 
mingled with those ideas or conceptions, which the 
Holy Spirit awakens within us. And we may 



514 HOW JAR THE SPIRIT 

humbly hope, that when he hath given us som 
secret whispers what we should pray for, he will at 
least so far enable us to use proper expressions, as 
may convey the same thoughts and matter to those 
who join with us in worship. 

Especially when proper materials of prayer are 
brought to our mind in scripture expressions, in 
some sense these are words which the Holy Ghost 
teacheth, that spirit which is promised to bring to 
our remembrance the things which Christ hath 
taught us. But this is more evidently so at that 
time, when, together with these expressions, the 
graces of prayer are wrought up to a lively exer- 
cise, which is the next step to the assistance of the 
spirit. 

VII. He excites those graces m us, which are 
suited to the duty of prayer. He spiritualizes our 
natural affections, and fixes them on proper objects, 
and enlarges and heightens their activity. When 
sin is recollected, he awakens anger, shame and 
sorrow. When God is revealed to the mind in his 
glory and justice, he overspreads the soul with 
holy awe and bumble fear. When the Lord Jesus 
Christ, and his redemption, are upon the thoughts, 
the Holy Spirit warms and raises our desire and 
love. We are in ourselves cold and dead to spirit- 
ual things, he makes us lively in prayer, and holds 
us to the work ; he begets a holy reverence of God 
while we adore him ; he works in us delight in God, 
and longing desires after him ; fervency and impor- 
tunity in our petitions for spiritual mercies, submis- 



ASSISTS US IK PKAYJSft. 5l6 

sion and resignation to the will of God in temporal 
things; faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and hope 
in the promises of the gospel, while we plead with 
God for an answer to our prayers; he fills us also 
with holy joy and exultation in God, while we rec- 
ollect in prayer, his glories or his benefits, and 
awakens all the springs of thankfulness. As these 
qualities in their first operation, are attributed to the 
spirit of God, (which is not my present business 
to prove) so in their constant exercise in every duty, 
they w r ant his farther assistance and efficacy, since 
of ourselves, an apostle could say, we are not suffi- 
cient for one good thought, 1 Cor. iii. 5, but ail 
our sufficiency is of God ; it is God of his good 
pleasure worketh in us both to will and to do, Phi!, 
ii. 13. He gives us sincre aims and designs, in our 
petitions; for as to the manner of our prayers, 
there is the assistance of the spirit necessary, 8 » 
well as to the matter; and it is hinted in the text 
before cited, Bom. viii. 26 ; We know not what to 
pray for, as we ought, but the Spirit helpeth us. 
He influences our minds with a true and upright aim 
at the glory of God ajid our salvation ; for other- 
wise we are ready to ask good things amiss, that we 
may spend them on our lusts, James iv. 3 

This work of the spirit in awakening our graces, 
though it be mentioned last, yet it often begins be- 
fore the prayer, and precedes his other influences. 
or our own labor in speaking to God. 

Thus have I delivered my sentiments at large, con^ 
cerning the extent of the influences of the spirit of 



£16 HOW FAR THB SPIRIT . 

God in prayer, and have shown how he qualifies 
us habitually for prayer, actually disposes and pre- 
pares us for it, and gives us present assistance in it. 
And after all I would say, that the most considera- 
ble and common assistance in prayer, which is pe- 
culiarly attributed to the blessed spirit as a spirit 
of prayer, and may be expected from him in our 
day, consists chiefly in this ; the putting our souls 
into a praying frame, the stirring up holy motions 
and breathings after God, giving secret hints of our 
real wants, and of arguments and promises to plead 
with God, awakening the graces of love, fear, Fiope, 
and joy, that are suited to this duty ; and it is chiefly 
upon this account that he is called a spirit of grace 
and supplication. When these are raised to a high 
degree, the heart will have a natural influence upon 
the invention, the memory, the language, and the 
■ voice. Out of the abundance of the heart the 
mouth will speak. And for th* most part, the ut- 
terance will be proportionable to the degree of in- 
, ward affection, and to the natural and acquired abil- 
ities of the person that prays ; excepting some rare 
and glorious instances, where men are carried be- 
yond themselves, by the uncommon presence of the 
divine spirit. 

I might venture upon this subject to mane an ad- 
dress to those persons who will entertain nothing in 
religion but what appears agreeable to the princi- 
ples of reason and philosophy, and yet have taken 
liberty to scoff at divine assistance in the duty of 
prayer. Let me intreat you,, sirs, to tell me what 



ASSISTS US IN PRAYER. 51T 

is there in this doctrine that is unreasonable to as- 
sert, or unbecoming a philosopher to believe? It 
the great God has required every man to pray, and 
will hear and reward the humble and sincere wor- 
shipper ; why may we not suppose he is so com- 
passionate as to help us in this work which he re- 
quires? Is not he full of goodness, and ready to 
accept those sinners that return to him? and why 
shall not the same goodness incline him to assist* 
those that desire and attempt a return? Why may 
he not by secret impressions draw out farther tho 
desires of that soul that already breathes after him, 
when he sees the spirit willing and feeble, and thus 
sweetly encourage the worship he delights in, and 
prepare his servants for his own reward? 

This address may be repeated to christians that 
profess the doctrine of the holy trinity with much 
more force and argument. Do you believe the 
Almighty God sent his own Son to teach us how 
to pray, and when we are taught the right way, 
why may not his own spirit assist in the perform- 
ance? Hath Jesus Christ purchased Heaven far, 
us, and may not the spirit be permitted to incline us 
to ask for that Heaven, and awaken our desires to 
seek it? When the Son of God saw us perishing 
in guilt and misery, did he descend and relieve and 
save us by dying for us? And when the spirit of 
God beholds a poor creature willing to receive this 
relief and salvation, and yet is afraid to venture into 
the presence of an offended God; why may he not 
give secret hints of encouragement, and draw 'out 



618 CAUTIONS ABOUT 

the addresses of the heart and lips to a God that is 
willing to pardon? When he sees an humble sinner 
laboring and striving to break through temptations, 
to lay aside vain thoughts, to put carnal things far 
away from the mind, and to converse with God 
alone; why may he not impress some divine thoughts 
upon him, stir up devout and strong affections, make 
him surmount his difficulties, and raise him a little 
towards his heavenly Father? Since he has given 
him faculties of memory, invention, and speech ; 
why may he not assist those faculties when directed 
toward himself, and make them swifter and warmer 
in their advances towards God? To what purpose 
is the blessed spirit mentioned so often in the new 
testament as one that helps forward the salvation of 
men? To what purpose does he sustain so many 
characters and offices in scripture? and to what end 
is he so often promised to Christians, to be with 
them and dwell in them as a most glorious blessing 
of the gospel, if he be not permitted to do so much 
<ts this in assisting men to draw near to their Ma- 
ker, and helping the children of God on earth, to 
converse with their Father which is in Heaven? 
Now if such condescensions as these are not un- 
worthy of the blessed God, why should it be un 
worthy of a man or a Christian to believe them and 
hope for them? 



SECT. III. 

CAUTIONS ABOUT THE INFLUENCE OF THE SPIRIT. 

* There are many practical cases that arise upon 



THE SPIRIT'S INFLUENCE. 619 

this subject, of the Assistance of tho Spirit of 
Prayer, which exercise the thoughts of honest and 
pious persons. It is not my purpose here to enlarge 
in this way ; yet that I may prevent or obviate some 
difficulties, I would lay down these few cautions: 

I. First Caution. Do not believe all man- 
ner of impulses, or urgent impressions of the 
mind to go and pray, proceed always from the 
blessed spirit. 

Sometimes the mere terrors of conscience, awa- 
kened under a sense of guilt and danger, will urge a 
natural man to go to prayer. So the sailors in Jo- 
nah's ship, when surprised with a storm, each of 
them fell a praying. Though the spirit of God, 
in his own operations, makes much use of the con- 
sciences of men to carry on his own work, yet when 
these inward impulses to pray, arise merely from 
some affrighting providence, or sudden conviction 
and torment o 1 - mind, and thus drag us into the pre- 
sence of God, without any assistance and strength 
to perform the duty, and without much regard to 
the success of the duty, we may justly fear the holy 
spirit of God hath not much hand in such impulses; 
for he both assists in the duty, and makes us solici- 
tous about the success of it. 

Sometimes Satan himself may so far transform 
himself into an angel of light, as to hurry and impel 
a person to go and pray. But his impulses are 
generally violent and unreasonable. When we are 
engaged in some other business that is the proper 
duty of that season, he tyrannically commands in a 



CAUTIONS ABOUT 

moment to leave all, and go aside and pray. But 
the spirit of God draws us to God at a fit season, 
so as never to thrust out another necessary duty to- 
ward God, or toward men. He is a God of order, 
and his spirit always excites to the proper duty of 
the hour ; wherefore Satan would but divert us from 
one business, by forcing us -away to another, and 
then leave us to our own weakness in it, and vex us 
afterward with accusations. 

II. Second Caution. Do not expect the in- 
fluences of the Spirit of Prayer should be so ve- 
hement and sensible, as certainly to distinguish 
them from the motions of your own Spirits : For 
the Spirit of God generally acts towards his people, 
agreeably to the dispensation under which they are 
either in a more sensible, or a more imperceptible 
way. 

Under the Old Testament, tne Spirit of God 
often carried the prophets away, as if it were in an 
extacy beyond themselves ; their style, their ges- 
ture, as well as inward commotions of the heart, 
were frequently different from the common manner 
of men, and did sufficiently evidence to themselves, 
and in some measure to others also, that they were 
under the impressions of the Holy Spirit at special 
seasons. 

Under the iVew Testament, the Apostles had a 
more constant and habitual assistance of the spirk, 
though it was extraordinary also ; and in a calmer 
way were influenced in prayer and preaching more 
agreeably to rational nature* though without doubt 



THE SPIRIT'S INFLUENCE. 021 

they themselves well knew when they were under 
the certain conduct of the Holy Spirit. 

in our day, when we have no reason to expect 
extraordinary inspirations, the Spirit of God usually 
leads us in so soft and silent a manner, agreeably to 
the temper of our own spirits, and concurrent cir- 
cumstances of life, that his workings are not to be 
easily distinguished by ourselves or others, from the 
rational motions of our own hearts, influenced by 
moral arguments : though by the holy tendency, and 
the sanctifying effects, we know we had some as- 
sistance from the blessed spirit. 

Such are his operations generally in conversion, 
s&nctification and consolation; he works so con- 
riaturally and sweetly with our own spirits, that we 
cannot certainly distinguish his working by any ve- 
hemence or strength of impression ; but it is best 
known by the savor and relish of divine things that 
we then feel in our souls, and by consequent fruits 
of satisfaction in our hearts and lives. 

III. Third Caution. Though we have not any 
sure ground to expect extraordinary influences 
from the spirit of prayer in our day, yet we ought 
not to deny them utterly ; for God hath no where 
bound himself not to bestow them : the chief ends 
for which immediate inspirations were given, are 
long ceased among us where the gospel is so well 
established ; yet there have not been wanting in- 
stances in every age of some extraordinary testimo- 
nies of the Spirit of God to the truth of the gospel, 
both for conviction of unbelievers, and for the 



622 CAUTIONS ABOUT 

instruction, encouragement, and consolation of his 
own people. 

In the conversion of a sinner, the spirit's work 
is usually gradual, and begun and carried on by 
providences, sermons, occasional thoughts and moral 
arguments from time to time, until at last the man 
is become a new creature, and resolves heartily to 
give up himself to Christ, according to the encour- 
agements of the gospel. Yet there are now and*, 
then some surprising and sudden conversions wrought) 
by the overpowering influences of the Holy Spirit, 
something like the conversion of St. Paul. 

In the consolation of saints, the spirit generally 
assists their own minds in comparing their hearts 
with the rule of the word, and makes it appear they 
are the children of God, by finding the characters. 
of adoption in themselves : this is his ordinary wayj 
of witnessing : but there are instances when the 
Spirit of God hath in a more immediate manner 
spoken consolation, and constrained the poor tremb- 
ling believer to receive it : and this hath been evi 
denced to be divine, by the humility and advancing 
holiness that hath followed upon it. 

So it is in prayer. The ordinary assistances of 
the spirit, given in our day to ministers, or private 
Christians in their utmost extent, imply no more 
than what I have described in the foregoing chapter: 
but there are instances wherein the Spirit of God 
hath carried a devout person in worship far beyond r 
his own natural and acquired powers in the exercise 
of the gift of prayer, and raised him to an uncom- 
mon and exalted degree of the exercise of praying 



"HE gPIRJT'S INFLUENCE. 623 

i 

graces, very near to those divine impulses which 
those divine impulses which the primitive Chris- 
tians enjoyed. 

If a minister in a public assembly has been ena- 
bled to make his addresses to God with snch a flow 
of divine eloquence, and spread the cases of the 
whole assembly before the Lord in such expressive 
language, that almost every one present hath been 
ready to confess, surely he knew all my heart; if 
they have all felt something of a divine power at- 
tending his words, drawing their hearts near to the 
throne, and giving them a taste of heaven; if sin- 
ners have been converted in numbers, and saints 
have been made triumphant in grace, and received 
blessed advances towards glory : I would not be 
afraid to say, " Surely God is in this place present 
with the extraordinary power and influence of 
his spirit." 

If a christian hath been taught by this spirit ma- 
king intercession in him to plead with God for some 
particular mercy in such an unwonted strain of hum- 
ble and heavenly argument, that he has found in 
himself secret and inward assurances, that the mer- 
cy should be bestowed, by something of a prophet-, 
ical impulse, and has never been mistaken; if grace 
has been in vigorous exercise in the prayer, and af- 
terward the success has always answered his expec- 
tation; I should not forbear to believe the extraor- 
dinary presence of the spirit of prayer with him 
at that season. Dr. Winter, in Ireland, and seve- 
ral ministers and private Christians of the last age 



&B4 CAUTIONS ABOUT 

in Scotland, are notable and glorious instances of 
this gracious appearance of the Holy Spirit. 

If a serious and humble worshipper, that hath 
been long seeking after the knowledge of some di- 
vine truth, should find himself enlightened upon* 
his knees, with a beam of heavenly light shining 
upon that truth with most peculiar evidence, and 
teaching him more in one prayer than he had learned 
by months of labor and study ; I should venture to 
acknowledge the immediate aids and answers of the 
spirit of prayer and illumination. Luther is said 
to have enjoyed such divine favors, at the reforma- 
tion of the church from popish darkness. 

If a soul hath been conflicting with doubts and 
fears, and waiting upon God in all its appointed 
ways of grace, seeking consolation and assurance 
of the love of God; If while he hath been at the 
throne of grace, he has beheld God as his God, 
smiling and reconciled, and as it were, seen the 
work of God on his own heart, in a bright and con- 
vincing light ; and perhaps by some comfortable 
word of Scripture imprest on his thoughts, hath 
been assured of his love to God, and the love of 
God to him : if from that immediate sensation of 
divine love he has been filled with joy unspeakable 
and full of glory, as well as warmed with heavenly 
zeal for the honor of God, his God and Father; I 
must believe such a one to be sealed as a child of 
God, by the sweet influence of the spirit of adop- 
tion, teaching him to pray, and cry, Abba, Father. 

But concerning such workings of the spirit of 



THE SPIRIT'S INFLUENCE*. 52(T 

God as these are, because there have been manf . 
vain and foolish pretences to them, I would mab 
three remarks. 

1. These are rare instances, and bestowed by th* 
Spirit of God in so sovereign and arbitrary a man- 
ner, according to the secret counsels of his own 
wisdom, that no particular Christian hath any sure 
ground to expect them. Though I am persuaded 
there are many more instances of them in secret, 
among pious and humble souls, than ever came to 
public notice 

2. They are best judged or, and distinguished 
from the mere effects of a warm fancy, and from 
the spirit of delusion, not so much by the bright- 
ness and vehemence of the present impression, as 
by their agreeableness to the standing rule of the 
word of God, and their influence towards humility 
and growing holiness. There is therefore the same 
rule to judge of the uncommon, as well as the 
common assistances of this spirit of supplication. 

3. How near soever these rare and extraordinary 
impulses come to the inspiration of the Apostles 
and first Christians in the truth and power of them, 
yet they fall far short in the distinct evidence : For 
the Spirit of God hath not taught us so far to dis- 
tinguish any particular parts or paragraph, even of 
such an extraordinary prayer, as that any one can 
say, these are perfect divine inspirations ; because 
he would have nothing stand in competition with 
his written word, as the rule of faith and practice 
of his saints. 



626 CAUTIONS ABOUT 

IV. Fourth Caution. Do not make the gift 
of prayer the measure of your judgment concern- 
ing the spirit of prayer. If we fellow this rule, 
there are three cases where we may be led into 
mistake. 

The first case is, when the gift is in great and 
lively exercise. Have a care of believing, that all 
those persons pray by the spirit, who pronounce 
very pious expressions with great seeming fervency, 
and much volubility of speech; when (it may be) 
their behavior and character in the world is sinful 
and abominable in the sight of God. It is true in- 
deed, the Spirit of God sometimes bestows con- 
siderable gifts upon persons that are unconverted ; 
but we are not immediately to believe, that every- 
thing that is bright and beautiful, is the peculiar 
work of the spirit in our day, unless we have some 
reason to hope the person is also one of the sons 
of God. 

Much less can we suppose, that noisy gesture, 
a distorted countenance, violence and vociferation 
are any signs of the presence of the divine Spirit ; 
sometimes indeed, the extraordinary anguish of 
mind, or inward fervor of affection, have extorted 
from the saints of God loud complaints and groan- 
ings. David sometimes practised this, as appears 
in his Psalms. Jesus Christ himself, when prest 
with sorrows heavier than man could bear, offered 
strong cries and tears in the day of his flesh, Eph. 
Heb. v. 7, and we are sure, the spirit of prayer was 
with him. But there may be great noise, and vio- 
lent commotions used to make a show of fervency 



THE SPIRIT'S INFLUENCE. 617 

and power, and with a design to make up the want 
>f inward devotion, God himself, indeed, was 
^resent at Sinai with thunder and lightning, and 
lie sound of a tr limpet once, Exod. xix. But 
mother time when he came down to visit Elijah, 
ae was not in the earthquake, nor in the tempest, 
hut in the still small voice, 1 Kings, xix. 

I would not impute the difference betwixt the 
prayers of one minister and another, one Christian 
and another, merely to the presence or absence of the 
Holy Spirit. Natural constitutions, capacities, ac- 
quirements, natural affections, and providential cir- 
cumstances can make a great difference. Nor would 
I impute the difference that is betwixt the prayers 
of the same true Christians at different seasons 
only, to the unequal assistances of the blessed spirit; 
for many other things may occur to make them more 
or less cold or fervent, dull or lively, in the exer- 
cise of the gift of prayer. 

The second case wherein we may be in danger 
of mistake is, where there is but a small measure 
of the gift of prayer. How ready are some per- 
sons to judge the spirit of prayer is absent from the 
heart of that person that speaks to God, if he hath 
but a mean and contemptible gift? if he seems to 
repeat the same things over again, if he labors un- 
der want of words, or expresses his thoughts in im- 
proper or disagreeable language ; if he hath no 
beauty of connection betwixt his sentences, and 
hath little order or method in the several parts of 
prayer. Now, though siich persons that have so 



CAUTIONS ABOUT 



very small and despicable a talent should not be 
forward to speak in prayer in a great assembly, or 
among strangers, until by practice in a more private 
way they have attained more o^f this holy skill ; yet 
there may be much of the spirit of prayer in the 
hearts of some such persons as these. 

It may be they are young Christians lately con- 
verted, and are but beginning to learn to pray. The 
business of praying is a new work to them, though 
their zeal be warm and their hearts lively in grace. 
"And natural bashfulness may sometimes hinder the 
exercise of a good gift of prayer. 

Or it may be they have very low^nataral parts, a 
poor invention and memory, a barrenness of words, 
or some difficulty or unhappiness in their common 
way of expressing themselves about other affairs ; 
they may be some of those foolish things of this 
world that God hath called to the knowledge of his 
Son, and filled their hearts with rich grace; but 
grace doth not so far exalt nature as to change a 
dull genius and low capacity into a sprightliness 
of thought and vivacity of language. 

Or perhaps they have long disused themselves 
from praying in public, and at first when they are 
called to it again, they may be much at a loss as 
to the gift of prayer, though grace may be in its 
advances in the soul. 

Or perhaps they are in the lively exercise of deep 
humility and mourning before God under a sense 
of guilt, or overwhelmed with fears of divine de- 
sertion, or conflicting and wrestling hard with some 



THE SPIRIT'S INFLUENCE. 62V 

hurrying temptation, or under a present depression 
of mind by some heavy sorrow, and may be in the 
case of David, Psalm lxxvii. 4, when he was so 
troubled tliat he could not speak. Or finally, God 
may withhold from them the exercise of the gift of 
prayer to punish them with shame and confusion 
for some neglected duty, and chastises them (it may 
be) for carelessness in seeking after this holy skill 
o£ speaking to God, though some graces, such as 
zeal and love, may be at work in the heart. 

Sometimes it may happen that the spirit of prayer 
is communicated in a great degree to an humble 
Christian, who falls into many thoughtless indecen- 
cies of gesture in prayer, or delivers his sentences 
with a most unhappy tone of voice: perhaps he 
was never taught to practice decency when he was 
young, and s'i % h \\\ habits are not easily cured af- 
terward. We aie not therefore to despise and be 
offended at all such prayers, but endeavor to sepa- 
rate what is pious and divine from the human frailty 
and weakness, to pity such persons heartily, and be 
so much the more excited ourselves to seek after 
everything that is agreeable in the gift of prayer. 

The third case wherein we are in danger of mis- 
take is, when the gift is not exercised at all. 
Some persons have been ready to imagine they could 
not pray by the spirit, but when they exercised the 
gift of prayer themselves : but this is a great mistake. 
For though one person be the mouth of the rest to 
God, yet every one that joins with him may be 
justly said to pray in spirit, if all the graces that 



530 CAUTIONS ABOUT 

are suited to the duty of prayer, and to the expres- 
sions that are then used, are found in exercise and 
lively vigor. And it is possible that a poor humble 
Christian may pray in the spirit, in the secret si- 
lence of his heart, while the person that speaks to 
God in the name of others, hath very little or noth- 
ing of the Spirit of God with him, or when the 
words of the prayer are a known and prescribed 
form. Though the spirit of prayer, in the common 
language of Christians, is never applied to the ex- 
ercise of the gift where there there is no grace ; 
yet it is often applied to the exercise of the grace 
of prayer, without any regard to the gift. 

V. Fifth Caution. Do not expect that the 
same measures of assistance at all times from the 
spirit of prayer. He has no where bound himself 
to be always present with his people in the same 
degrees of influence ; though he will never utterly 
fdrsake those, of whose heart he has taken posses- 
sion as his temple and residence. He is compared 
to the wind, by our Lord Jesus Christ, John iii. 
The wind blows where and when it listeth, and is 
not always equal in the strength of its gales, nor 
constant in blowing on the same part of the earth. 
The Holy Spirit is a sovereign and free agent, and 
dispenses his favors in what manner he pleaseth, 
and at what seasons he will. 

Those therefore that enjoy at present a large share 
of assistance from the spirit of prayer, should not 
presume upon it that they shall always enjoy the 
eame. Those that have in any measure lost it, 



THE SPIRIT ? S INFLUENCE. 631 

should dot despair of recovering it again : and those 
that have not yet been blest with his influences, 
may humbly hope to obtain them by seeking. And 
this naturally leads me to the following sectiou. 

SECT. IV. 

DIRECTIONS TO OBTAIN AND KEEP THE SPIRIT OP 
PRAYER. 

The last thing I proposed, is to give some direc- 
tions how to obtain and to keep the assistance of 
the Holy Spirit ; and they are such as these : 

Direct. 1. Seek earnestly after converting 
grace, and faith in Jesus Christ. For the spirit 
of grace and of supplication dwells in believers 
only. He may visit others as he is the Author of 
some spiritual gifts, but he abides only with the 
saints. The sons of God are so many temples of 
his Holy Spirit, 1 Cor. iii. 16, and he perfumes 
their souls, with the sweet incense of prayer ascend 
ing up from their hearts to God who dwells in 
Heaven. If we are in the flesh, that is in an un- 
converted state, we cannot please God, nor walk 
in the spirit, nor pray in the spirit, Rom. viii. 8, 
9. It is only the children of God that receive his 
spirit as a spirit of adoption, Rom. viii. 15. Be- 
cause ye are sons, he hath sent the spirit of his Son 
into your hearts ; and it is by faith in Christ Jesus, 
that we receive this spirit, Gal. iii. 14. And where- 
soever he is the spirit of all grace, he will in some 
neasure be a spirit of prayer too. 

Let all Christians therefore that would maintain, 
and increase in, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, live 



632 ' DIRECTIONS TO OBTA1 

much by the faith of the Son of God, be frequen< 
in acts of dependence upon Christ Jesus : For the 
spirit is given to him without measure, and in all 
fulness; that from his fulness we may derive every 
gift, and every grace, John iii. 34, and i. 16. As 
in the natural, so in the spiritual or mystical body, 
the spirits that give life and activity to the heart and 
tongue, and to all the members, are derived from 
the head. He tha-t lives in Heaven as our interces 
sor and advocate, to present our addresses and peti- 
tions to the throne, will send his own spirit down 
to earth, to assist us in drawing them up. Live 
much upon him therefore as your intercessor, and 
your vital head. 

Direct. 2. Give all diligence to acquire this 
gift, or holy skill, according to the directions con- 
cerning the?natter, method, and manner of prayer, 
which have been laid down before : and be much 
in the practice of prayer, both in secret and with 
one another, that young habits may grow and be 
improved by exercise. The Spirit of God will 
come and bless the labors of the mind towards the 
acquiring of spiritual gifts. Timothy is commanded 
to give attendance to reading, to meditation on the 
things of God, and to give himself wholly up to 
*he work, that his profiting may appear unto all, 
though he received gifts of inspiration, 1 Tim. iv. 
3, compared with verses 14. 15, and 2 Tim. i. And 
much more should we do it who are not thus in- 
spired. 



THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER. 633 

Though prophecy were a gift of immediate in- 
spiration, yet there were of old the schools of the 
prophets, or the college, in which young men were 
trained up in the study of divine things, that they 
might be the better prepared to receive the spirit of 
prophecy, and use and improve it better. And 
these were called the sons of the prophets, 2 Kings 
vi. 1, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 22. St. Paul labored and 
strove with his natural powers while the spirit 
wrought mightily in him. Col. i. 29. 

Do not imagine yourselves to be in danger of 
quenching the Spirit, by endeavoring to furnish 
yourselves with matter or expressions of prayer, for 
the Spirit of God usually works in, and by the use 
of means. As in the things of nature, so in the 
things of grace, it is a true and divine proverb ; 
"The soul of the sluggard desireth and hath not, 
but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat," Prov. 
xiii. 4. We are to put forth our best efforts, and 
then hope for divine assistance; for, "the Spirit of 
God helps together with us," sii?iantigam-thantai 9 
Rom. viii. 26. As if a man should take hold of 
one end of a burden in order to raise it, and some 
mighty helper should make his labor effectual, by 
raising it up at the other end, and fulfilling the de- 
sign. It was the encouragement which David gave 
his son Solomon, 1 Chron. xxiii. 16, "Arise and 
be doing, and the Lord shall be with thee." While 
we are stirring up ourselves to obey the command 
of God and seek his face, we have reason to hope 
his Spirit will strengthen us to this obedience, and 



534 DIRKCTINS T« OBTAIN 

assist us in seeking. As when God commanded 
Ezekiel to arise and stand upon his feet, and bade 
him put forth his natural powers towards raising 
himself, "The Spirit entered into him, and set him 
upon his feet," and by a Divine power made him 
stand, Ezek. ii. 1, 2. 

Direct. 3. Pray earnestly, and pray for the 
promised Spirit as a Spirit of prayer. Depend 
not upon all your natural and acquired abilities, 
what glorious attainments soever you enjoy. How 
have some persons been shamefully disappointed, 
when they have ventured presumptuously to make 
their addresses to God by the mere strength of their 
own wit, and memory, and confidence? What hur- 
ry and confusion of thought havo they fallen into, 
and been incapable to proceed in the duty ? The 
"Holy Spirit shall be given to them that ask" aright 
Luke xi. 13. Plead the promises of Christ with 
faith in his name, John xiv. 16, 17. For he has 
promised, in his own name and in his Father's, to 
send his Holy Spirit. 

Direct. 4. Quench not the Spirit of prayer by 
confining yourselves to any set forms whatsoever* 
Though the Spirit of God may be present, and as- 
sist in the exercise of grace, while we use forms of 
prayer, yet let us have a care how we stifle or re 
strain any holy motions, or good desires, and heav- 
enly affections, that are stirred up in our hearts when 
w& pray. If we refuse to express them, because 
we will not vary from tke form that is written down 
before m\ we run a great risk of grieving the Ho* 
ly Spirit, and cauViri* him to depart from us, as he 



THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER. 585 

is the spirit of grace; and we effectually hinder our 
selves for his assistance in the gift of prayer, : 

While you borrow the best aids in your devotion 
from those prayers that are indited by the Spirit of 
God in Scripture, take care and quench not his far- 
ther operations, by confining yourselves entirely to 
those of words and expressions. The Holy Spirit 
may be quenched, even by tying yourselves to his 
own words: for, if he had thought those words of 
Scripture all-sufficient for all the designs and wants 
of his saints in prayer, he would have given some 
hint of it in his Word; he would have required us 
to use those prayers always; and there would have 
been no farther promise of the Spirit to assist us in 
this work: but now he has promised it, and has for- 
bid us to quench it while we "pray without ceas- 
ing,' 5 1 Thes. v. 17, 18, 19. 

Direct. 5. Dare not to indulge yourselves in a 
course of Spiritless ivorship, in a round of for- 
mality and lip-services, ivithout pious dispositions 
and warm devotion in your own Spirits. TheTe 
may be danger of this formality and coldness even 
in the exercise of the gift of prayer, when we are 
not tied to a form. And how can we thkik the 
Spirit of God will come to our assistance, if our 
Spirits withdraw and are absent from the work. 

Take notice of the frame of your minds in pray- 
er, observe the presence or absence of this divine 
assistant, the Holy Spirit; and since ye are bid to 
"pray always in the Spirit," Eph. vi. 18 ; be not 
satisfied with any one prayer, where ye have found 



■ 36 DIRECTIONS TO OBTAIN 

nothing at all of inward divine breathings towards 
God through the work of his own Spirit, O the 
dismal character and temper of those souls that pass 
whole years of worship, and multiply duties and 
forms of devotion, without end and without number 
and no Spirit in them. 

Direct. 6. Be thankful for every aid of the 
Spirit of God in prayer, and improve it well. — 
Spread all the sails of your soul to improve every 
gale of this heavenly wind, "that blows when (and 
where) it listeth," Johr* Hi. 8. Comply with his 
holy breatbings and spiritual motions. Abide in 
praj'er, when you feel your graces raised into a live- 
ly exercise ; for "it is the Spirit that quickeneth," 
John vi. 63. He doth not always come in a sensi? 
Lie manner; therefore be tenderly careful, lest you 
.shake him off, or thrust him from the door of your 
hearts, especially if he be a rare visitor. 

Direct. 7. Have a care of pride and self-suf- 
ficiency, when at any time you feel great enlarge- 
ments of soul in prayer, and warm affections, and 
divine delight. Attribute not to yourselves what 'is 
due to God, lest he be provoked. The gift of pray- 
er in a lively and flowing exercise, will be in dan- 
ger of puffing up the unwary Christian ; but let us 
remember, that it is " with the humble that God 
will dwell," Isa. Ivii. 15; and to "'the humble he* 
giveth more grace," James iv. 6. 

Direct. 8. Grieve not the Holy Spirit in the 
course.of your conversation in the world. Walk 
according to the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the 



THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER. 537 

lusts of the flesh," nor make him depart grieved, 
Eph. iv. 29. Hearken to the whispers of the Spir- 
it of God when he convinces of sin, and comply 
with his secret dictates when he leads to duty, es- 
pecially the duty of prayer at fit times and seasons. 
Grieve him not by your unwatcufulness, or by wil- 
ful sins ; resist him not, lest he remove; but rather 
seek greater degrees of his enlightening and sancti- 
fying influences. If you thrust him utterly away 
from you in the world, he will not take it well at 
your hands, nor vouchsafe you his presence in the 
closet, or in the church. If you grieve him before 
men, he will withdraw from you when you would 
come near to God, and leave your souls in grief and 
bitterness. Deal kindly with him therefore, when 
he comes to make a visit of conviction to your con- 
sciences, and to direct and incline you even to diffi- 
cult and self-denying duties. Value his presence as 
a spirit of knowledge and sanctification, and he 
will not forsake you as a Spirit of prayer. Live 
in the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, and then you shall 
also pray in the Spirit. 

Thus have I given short and plain directions how 
the assistances of the Holy Spirit m^y'be obtained 
according to the encouragements of the Word of 
God, and the experience of praying Christians: for 
though he be a sovereign and free agent, and his 
communications are of pure mercy, so that we can 
pretend no merit ; yet the Spirit of God has so 
far condescended as to give promises of his own 
presence to those that seek it in the way prescribed. 



538 DIRECTIONS TO OBTAIN 

I would not finish this section without a word 
of advice to those from whom the spirit of prayer 
is in a great measure withdrawn, in order to their 
recovering his wonted assistance. 

Advice 1. Be deeply sensible, of the greatness 
of your loss, mourn over his absence, and lament 
after the Lord. Recollect the times when you 
could pour out your whole heart before God in 
prayer, with a rich plenty of expressions and lively 
graces ; compare those shining hours with the dull 
and dark seasons of retirement which you now com- 
plain of. Go and mourn before your God, and say 
"How vigorous were all the powers of Nature here- 
tofore in worship ? How warm my love ? How 
fervent my zeal? How overflowing was my re- 
pentance ? And how joyful my thanksgivings and 
praises? But noir what a coldness hath seized my 
Spirit? How dry and dead is my heart, and how 
far off from God and heaven, even while my knees 
are bowed before him in secret? How long, O Lord 
how long e'er thou return again?" Have a care of 
being satisfied with a circle and course of duties, 
without the life, power and pleasure of religion. — 
The Spirit of God will come and revisit the mour- 
ners. Jer. xxxi. 20, "When God heard Ephraim 
bemoaning himself, he turned his face toward him 
with compassion. 

Advice 2. Look back and remark the steps 
whereby the Spirit of God withdrew himself and 
search after the sins that provoked him to depart. 



THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER ' < 63$ 

He is not wont to go away and leave his saints, «»• 
cept they grieve him. 

See if you cannot find some sensual iniquity in- 
dulged. He hates this, for he is a spirit of purity. 
David might well fear, after his scandalous sin, 
that God would "take away his Holy Spirit from 
him,' 5 Psal. li. 11. 

Recollect, if you have not rushed upon some pre- ; 
sumptuous sin, and run counter to your own light 
and knowledge : this is a sure way to make him 1 
withdraw his favorable presence. 

Ask your conscience, whether you have not; re- 
sisted this blessed Spirit, when he hath brought a 
word of conviction, or command, or reproof, to 
your soul? Whether you have not refused to obey 
some holy influence, and been heedless of his kind 
motions in any duty or worship ? this highly de 
serves his resentment and departure. 

Reflect whether you have not absented yourself' 
sinfully from your closet, often, or often left it, al- 
most as soon as you came to it, from a prevailing 
carnality of mind, and sinful weariness of duty ; 
and often shuffled off the work like a tiresome task, 
because you fancied the world called you : it is no 
wonder then if the spirit of prayer absent himself* 
from your closet, even when the world gives you 
leave to go thither. And you may expect also that 
if you decline secret prayer, the Spirit will not al- 
ways attend you in public. 

Consider whether you have not grown proud and 
vain in gifts and attainments; and thus the Holy 



640 DIRECTIONS TO OBTAIN 

Spirit hath been provoked to leave you to yourself, 
to show you your own weakness and insufficiency, 
and to abase your pride. 

Cry earnestly to him, and beg that he would dis- 
cover his own enemy, which hath given him 
just offence. And when you have found it out, 
bring it, and slay it before the Lord. Confess the 
sin before him with deep humiliation and self 
abasement ; abhor, renounce and abandon it for ever. 
Bring it to the cross of Christ for pardon, and there 
let it be crucified and put to death. Cry daily for 
strength against it from Heaven, renew your engage- 
ments to be the Lord's, and to walk more watch- 
fully before him. 

Advice 3. Remember how you obtained the 
spirit of prayer at first; read over all the fore- 
going directions, and put them all afresh in prac- 
tice. . 

Was it by faith in Christ Jesus, that the spirit was 
first received? then by renewing acts of faith in 
Christ seek his return ; it is he who first gives, and 
he who restores this glorious gift. 

Was it in the way of labor, duty and diligence, 
that you found the spirit's first assistance? Then 
stir up all the powers of your soul to the same dil- 
igence in duty ; and strive, and labor to get near to 
the throne of God, with the utmost exercise of your 
natural abilities, depending on his secret influences, 
and hoping for his return. If the wind blow not, 
tug harder at the oar, and so make your way toward 
heaven. Dare not indulge a neglect of prayer, upon 



THE SPIRIT OP PRAYER. 641 

pretence that the spirit is departed ; for you cannot 
expect he should revisit you without stirring up your 
soul to seek him. 

Was he given you more sensibly as an answer to 
prayer at first ? Then plead earnestly with God, 
again to restore him. If he furnish you not with 
matter of prayer by his special and present influen- 
ces, take with you words from his own holy book, 
and say to him. Take away all iniquity, and return 
and receive me graciously, Hos. xiv. 1, 4. Plead 
with him his own promises made to returning back- 
sliders, Jer. iii. 12; Ezek. xxxvi. 25, 31, 37, and 
put him in mind of the repenting prodigal in the 
embraces of his father. 

When you have found him, hold him fast, and 
never' let him go; Sol. Song, iii. 4. Dare not again 
indulge those follies that provoked his anger and 
absence. Entertain his first appearances with great 
thankfulness and holy joy. Let him abide with 
you, and maintain all his sovereignty within you, 
and see that you abide in him in all subjection. 
Walk humbly, and sin no more, lest a worse thiqg 
befall you ; lest he depart again from you, and fill 
your spirit with fear and bondage, and make you to 
possess the bitter fruit of your folly ; lest he give 
you up to months and years of darkness, and that 
measure of the gift of prayer you had attained 
should be so strangely imprisoned and bound up, 
that you may be hardly able to pray at all. 



542* A FEf.auASiVE \ 

CHAP. V. 

A PERSUASIVE TO LEARN TO PRAY, 

It is to little purpose, that the nature of prayer 
is explained, that so many rules are framed, and 
directions given to teach persons this divine skill 
of prayer, if they are not persuaded of the neces- 
sity and usefulness of it. I would therefore finish 
these institutions, by leaving some persuasive ar- 
guments on the mind of the readers, that this attain- 
ment is worth their seeking. 

I am not going to address myself to those persons 
who through a neglect of serious religion have risen 
to the insolence of scoffing at all prayers besides 
public divine services and authorized forms. Nor 
am I now seeking to persuade those who may have 
some taste of serious piety, but by a superstitious 
and obstinate veneration of liturgies, have forever 
abandoned all thoughts of learning to pray. 

I think there is enough of the second chapter of 
this treatise to convince impartial men, that the gift 
of prayer is no enthusiastical pretence, no insignifi- 
cant cant of a particular party : but an useful and 
lecessary qualification for all men ; a piece of 
Christian skill to be attained in a rational way, by 
the use of proper means and the blessing of the 
Holy Spirit. If what I have said cannot have in- 
fluence on these persons, I leave them to the farther 
instruction and reproof of a great and venerable 
man, whose name I have mentioned before, a learn- 
e<i Prelate of the established church, who speaks 
thus 



TO LEARN TO PRAY. 543 

" For any one to satisfy himself with a form of 
prayer, is still to remain in infancy. It is the duty 
of every Christian to grow and increase in all the 
duties of Christianity, gifts as well as graces 
Now how can a man be said to live suitable to these 
rules, who doth not put forth himself in some at- 
tempts and endeavors of this kind? And if it be 
a fault not to strive and labor after this gift, much 
more it is to jeer and despise it by the name of 
extempore prayer, and praying by the spirit; which 
expressions (as they are frequently used by some 
men by way of reproach) are for the most part a 
sign of a profane heart, and such as are altogethei 
strangers from the power, and comfort of this duty." 

My business here is to apply myself to those who 
have some sense of their ob igation to prayer, and 
of the impossibility of answering all their necessi- 
ties by any set forms whatsoever, but through a 
coldness and indifference in things of religion take 
no pains to acquire the gift, or content themselves 
with so slight and imperfect a degree of it, that 
themselves or others are not much the better. It is 
this sort of Christians that I would stir up and 
awaken to diligence, in seeking so valuable an at- 
tainment. 

But here I would have it again observed, that the 
qualification I recommend doth not consist in a 
treasure of sublime notions, florid phrases and gay 
eloquence ; but merely in a competent supply of re- 
ligious thoughts, which are the fit materials of 
prayer, and a readiness to express them in plain 



544 ' A PERSUASIVE 

and proper words, with a free and natural decency, 
1 . The first argument or persuasive I shall draw 
from the design and dignity of this gift. 

There is such a thing as correspondence with 
Heaven, and prayer is a great part of it while we 
dwell on earth. Who would not be ambitious to 
correspond with Heaven? Who would not be wil- 
ling to learn to pray? This is the language wherein 
God hath appointed the sons of Adam, who are but 
worms and dust, to address the King of Glory their 
Maker ; and shall thetfe be any among the sons of 
Adam that will not learn this language? Shall 
worms and dust refuse this honor and privilege? 
This is the speech which the sons of God use in 
talking with their heavenly Father; and shall not 
all the children know how to speak it? This is the 
manner and behavior of a saint, and these the ex- 
pressions of his lips, while his soul is breathing in 
a divine air, and stands before God. Why should 
not every man be acquainted with this manner of 
address, that he may join in practice with all the 
saints, and have access at all times to the greatest 
and best of beings? 

There are indeed some sincere Christians who 
daily worship God, and yet they are often laboring 
for want of matter, and are perpetually at a loss for 
proper expressions. They have but a mean at- 
tainment of this holy skill ; but it is neither their 
honor nor their interest to perform so divine a work 
with so many human weaknesses, and yet be satis- 
fied with them. There are children that can but 



TO LEAR\ T) PRAY. 646 

just cry after their father, and stammer out a bro- 
ken word or two, by which he can understand their 
meaning ; but these are infants and ungrown. The 
Father had rather see his children advancing to 
manhood, and entertaining themselves daily wifh 
that large and free converse with himself which he 
allows, and to which he graciously invites them. 

Prayer is a sacred and appointed means to ob- 
tain all the blessings that wG want, whether they 
relate to this life or the life to come ; and shall we 
not know how to use the means God hath appointed 
for our own happiness? Shall so glorious a privil- 
ege lie unimproved through our own neglect? 

Were the business of prayer nothing else but to 
come and beg mercy of God, it would be the duty 
of every man, to know how to draw up such peti- 
tions, and present them in such a way as becomes a 
mortal petitioner. But prayer is a work of much 
larger extent. When a holy soul comes before 
God, he hath much more to say than merely to beg. 
He tells his God what a sense he hath of the divine 
attributes, and what high esteem he pays to his 
majesty, his wisdom, his power, and his mercy. 
*Te talks with him about the works of creation, and 
stands wrapt up in wonder. He talks about the 
grace and mystery of redemption, and is yet more 
filled with admiration and joy. He talks of all the 
affairs of nature, grace and glory, he speaks of his 
works of providence, of love and vengeance, in this 
and the 'future world. Infinite and glorious are the 
subjects of this holy communion between God and 



646 A PERSUASIVE 

his saints: and shall we content ourselves with sighs 
and groans, and a* few short wishes, and deprive 
our souls of so rich, so divine, so various a pleas- 
ure, for want of knowing how to furnish out such 
meditations, and to speak this blessed language? 

How excellent and valuable is this skill of pray- 
ing, in comparison of the many meaner arts and 
accomplishments of human nature that we labor 
night and day to obtain? What toil do men undergo 
for seven years together, to acquire the knowledge 
of a trade and business in this present life? Now 
the greatest part of the business between us and 
Heaven is transacted in the way of prayer. With 
how much more diligence should we seek the knowl- 
edge of this heavenly commerce, than any thing 
that concerns us merely on earth? How many years 
of our short life are spent to learn the Greek, the 
Latin, and the French tongues, that we may hold 
correspondence among the living nations, or con- 
verse with the writings of the dead? And shall not 
the language wherein we converse with Heaven and 
the living God, be thought worth equal pains? How 
nicely do some persons study the art of conversa- 
tion, that they may be accpted in all company, and 
share in the favor of men? Is not the same care 
due, to seek all methods of acceptance with God, 
that we may approve ourselves in his presence? 
What a high value is set upon human oratory, or 
the art of persuasion, whereby we are fitted to dis- 
course, and prevail with our fellow-creatures? And 
is this art of divine oratory of no esteem with us, 



TO tEARN TO PRAY. 547 

which teaches us to utter our inward breathings of 
the soul, and plead and prevail with our Creator 
through the assistance of the Holy Spirit and med- 
iation of our Lord Jesus? 

O let the excellency and high value of this gift 
of prayer engage our earnestness and endeavors in 
proportion to its superior dignity ; let us covet the 
best of gifts with the warmest desire, and pray for 
it with ardent supplications, 1 Cor. xii. 31 

II. Another argument may be borowed from our 
very character and professions as Christians ; some 
measure of the gift of prayer is of great necessity 
and universal use to all that are called by the name. 

Shall we profess to be followers of Christ, and 
not know how to speak to the Father? are we 
commanded to pray always, and upon all occasions, 
to be constant and fervent in it, and shall we be 
contented with ignorance and incapacity to obey this 
command? Are we invited by the warmest exhor- 
tations, and encouraged by the highest hopes to draw 
near to God with all our wants and our sorrows, 
and shall we not learn to ex-press those wants, and 
pour out those sorrows before the Lord? Is there a 
way made for our access to the throne by the blood 
and intercession of Jesus Christ, and shall we not 
know how to form a prayer to be sent to Heaven, 
and spread before the throne by this glorious inter- 
cession? Is his Holy Spirit promised to teach us 
to pray, and shall a Christian be careless or unwil- 
ling to receive such divine teachings? 

There is not any faculty in the whole Christian 



648 A PERSUASIVE 

life that is called out into so frequent * exercise as 
this ; and it is a most unhappy thing to be always 
at a loss to perform the work which daily necessi- 
ty requires, and daily duty demands. Will a per- 
son profess to be a scholar that cannot read? Shall 
any man pretend to be a minister that cannot preach? 
And it is but a poor pretence we make to Christian- 
ity, if we are not able, at least in secret, to supply 
ourselves with a few meditations or expressions, to 
continue a little in the work of prayer. 

Remember then, O Christian, this is not a gift 
that belongs to ministers alone, nor alone to gov- 
ernors of families, who are under constant obliga- 
tion to pray in public ; though it most highly con- 
cerns them to be expert in this holy skill, that with 
courage and presence of mind, with honor and de- 
cency, they may discharge this part of their duty 
to God in their congregations and households. But 
this duty hath a farther extent. Every man that 
is joined to a church of Christ should seek after an 
ability to help the church with his prayersj or at 
least upon more private occasions to join with a 
few fellow Christians in seeking to God their Fa- 
ther. Nor are women, though they are forbidden 
to speak in the church, forbid to pray in their own 
families, nor with one another in a private cham- 
ber ; and I am persuaded Christians would ask one 
another's assistance more frequentlym prayer upon 
special occasions, if a good gift of prayer were 
more commonly sought and more universally ob- 
tained. Nor would congregations in the country 



TO LEARN TO PRAY. 549 

be dismissed, and the whole Lord's day pass with- 
out public worship, where a minister is suddenly 
taken sick, if some grave and discreet Christian of 
good ability in prayer would but take that part of 
worship upon him, together with the reading of 
some well composed sermon, and some useful por- 
tion of Holy Scripture. Doubtless this would be 
most acceptable to that God who loves the gates of 
Zion, in his own public ordinances, more than al) 
the dwellings of Jacob, or w r orship of private fam- 
ilies, Psal. lxxxvii. 2. 

Thus far is this gift necessary wheresoever social 
prayer may be performed. But the necessity of it 
reaches farther still. There is not a man, woman, 
or child, that is capable of seeking God, but is bound 
to exercise something of the gift of prayer. And 
those that never have any call from providence, to 
be the mouth of others in speaking to God, are cal- 
led daily to speak to God themselves. It is neces- 
sary therefore, that every soul should be so far fur- 
nished with a knowledge of the perfections of God, 
as to be able to adore them distinctly, should have 
such an acquaintance with its own wants, as to ex- 
press them particularly before God, at least in the 
conceptions and language of the mind; should have 
such an apprehension of the encouragements to 
pray, as to be able to plead with God for supply; 
and should have such an observation and remem- 
brance of divine mercies s as to repeat some of them 
before God with humble thanksgiving. 

111. I would pursue this persuasive by a third 



$f?0 A PERSUASIVE 

argument drawn from the divine light, and &r- 
ceding great advantage of this gift to our own 
souls, and to the souls of all that join m prayer 
with us. 

Christians, have you never felt your spirits raised 
from a carnal and vain temper of mind, to a devout 
frame, by a lively prayer? Have you not found 
your whole souls overspread with holy affections, 
and carried up to Heaven with most abundant pleas- 
ure, by the pious and regular performance of him 
that speaks to God in worship? And when you 
have been cold and indifferent to divine things, have 
you not felt that heavy and listless humor expelled, 
by joining with the warm and lively expressions of 
a person skilful, in this duty? How sweefc a refresh- 
ment have you found under inward burdens of mind, 
or outward afflictions, when in broken language* you 
have told them to your minister, and he hath spread 
them before v God, and that in such words as have 
spoke your whole soul and your sorrows? And 
you have experienced ar sweet serenity and calm of 
spirit ; you have risen up from your knees with 
your countenance no more sad. And have you not 
wished for the same gift yourselves, that you might 
be able upon all occasions thus to address the throne 
of grace, and pour out all your hearts in this man- 
ner before your God? But what a sad inconveni- 
ence is it to live in such a world as this, where we 
are liable daily to so many new troubles and temp- 
tations, and not be able to express them to God in 
prayer ; unless we find them written in the words of 



TO LEARN TO PRAY. 661 

a form? And how hard is it to find any form suited 
to all our new wants and new sorrows? 

At other times what divine impressions of holi- 
ness have you felt in public worship in the congre- 
gation, where this duty hath been peformed with 
holy skill and fervency? And in that prayer you 
have received more solid edification than from the 
whole sermon. How dead have you been to all 
sinful temptations, and how much devoted to God? 
And do you not long to be able to pray thus in your 
households, and in your own closet? Would it not 
be a pleasure for men to be thus able to entertain 
their whole families daily? And for Christians thus 
to entertain one another, when they meet to pray 
to their common God and Father? And to hclpone 
another, at this rate onward to the world of praise! 
When the disciples had just been witnesses of the 
devotion of our Lord; Luke xi. 1, who spake as 
never man spake, their hearts grew warm under the 
words of that blessed worshipper, and one of them, 
in the name of the rest, cried out, Lord, teach us 
to pray too 

Thus a good attainment of this gift is made a 
happy instrument of sanctification as well as com- 
fort, by the co-working power of the blessed spirit. 

But on the other hand, hath not your painful ex- 
perience sometimes taught you, that zeal and devo- 
tion hath been cooled, and almost quenched by the 
vain repetitions or weak and wandering thoughts of 
some fellow Christian that leads the worship? And 
at another time a well framed prayer of beautiful 



552 A PERSUASIVE 

order and language hath been rendered disagreeable 
by some unhappy tones and gestures, so that you 
have been ready to long for the conclusion, and 
have been weary of attendance. 

Who then' would willingly remain ignorant of 
such an attainment, which is so sweet and success- 
ful an instrument to advance religion in the powers 
and pleasures of it in their own hearts, and the 
hearts of all men that are round about them? 

VI. The honor of God, and the credit of reli- 
gion in the world, will afford me another spring 
of argument to excite you to attain this skill of 
prayer. 

The great God esteems himself dishonored, when 
we do not pay him the best worship we are capable 
of. The work of the Lord must not be done neg- 
ligently. It is highly for his honor, that we be fur- 
nished with the best talents for his service, and that 
we employ them in the best manner. This discov- 
ers to the world the inward high esteem and venera- 
tion we have for our Maker. This gives him glory 
in the eyes of men. But to neglect utterly this gift 
of prayer, and to serve him daily with a few suddeu 
thoughts, with rude and improper expressions, thit 
never cost us any thing but the labor of our lips 
while we speak, this is not the way to sanctify his 
name among men. 

There is a sinful sloth and indifference in reli- 
gion, that hath tempted some men to believe that 
God is no curious and exact inquirer into outward 
things : and if they can but persuade themselves 



TO LEARN TO PRAY. 668 

their intentions are right, they imagine that for the 
substance and form of their sacrifice anything will 
serve ; and as though he were not a God of order, 
they address him often in confusion. Because the 
heart is the chief thing in divine worship (like 
some foolish Israelite) they are regardlesss what 
beast they offer him, so it hath but a heart. But 
the prophet Malachi thunders with divine indigna- 
tion and jealousy against such worshippers. Ye 
have brought that which was torn and lame, and the 
sick, should I accept this at your hand? I am a 
great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name 
is dreadful. Mai. i. 13, 14. He upbraids us with 
sharp resentment, and bids us offer it to our Gover- 
nor, and asks, if he will be pleased with it ? Now 
our consciences sufficiently inform us, how careful 
we are when we make an address to an earthly gov- 
ernor, to have our thoughts well ordered and words 
well chosen, as well as to tender it with a loyal 
heart : and may not our supreme governor in Hea- 
ven expect a due care in ordering our thoughts, and 
choosing our words, so far at least as to answer all 
the designs of prayer, and so far as it is consistent 
with the necessity of so frequent addresses to him, 
and our other Christian duties ? 

The credit of religion in the world is much 
concerned in the honorable discharge of the duty 
of prayer. 

There is an inward beauty in divine worship that 
consists in the devout temper of t'he worshippers, 
and the lively exercise of holy affections: There is 
Z 



5£4 A PERSUASIVE 

also an outward beauty that arises from a decent 
and acceptable performance of all the paets of it 
that come within the notice of our fellow-creatures; 
that those that observe us may be forced to ack- 
nowledge the excellence of religion in our practice 
of it. 

Where worship is performed by immediate inspi- 
ration^ a natural order of things, and a becoming 
behavior is required in him especially who leads 
the worship. This is the design of the Apostle in 
his advice to the Corinthians, 1 Cor. xiv. 14. Let 
all things be done decently and in order, i. e., Let 
such a prudent conduct, such a regular and rational 
management in all the parts of worship be found 
among you, as gives a natural beauty to human ac- 
tions, and will give a visible glory to the acts of 
religion. Where this advice is followed, if the 
unlearned and unbeliever, i. e. ignorant and pro- 
fane ? come into the assembly, they will fall down 
and worship God, and report God is in you of a 
truth, v. 25. But if ye are guilty of disorder in 
speaking, and break the rules of natural light and 
reason in uttering your inspirations, the unlearned 
and unbelievers, will say, ye are mad, though youi: 
words may be the dictates of the Holy Spirit. 

Much more is this applicable to our common and 
ordinary performance of worship. When an un- 
skilful person speaks in prayer with a heaviness and 
penury of thought, with mean and improper lan- 
guage, with a false and offensive tone of voice, or 
accompanies his words with awkward motions, 



TO LEARN TO PRAY. *\. 665 

what slanders are thrown upon our practice? A 
whole party of Christians is ridiculed, and the 
scoffer saith, we are mad. But when a minister 
or master of a family, with a fluency of devout 
sentiments and language, offers his petitions and 
praises to God in the name of all that are present, 
and observes all the rules of natural decency in his 
voice and gesture ; how much credit is done to our 
profession hereby, even in the opinion of those who 
have no kindness for our way of worship? And 
how effectually doth such a performance confute the 
pretended necessity of imposing forms? How glo- 
riously doth it triumph over the slanders of the ad- 
versary, and force a conviction upon the mind, that 
there is something divine and heavenly among us ? 
I cannot represent this in a better manner than is 
done be an ingenious author of the last age, who be- 
ing a courtier in the reigns of the two brothers, 
Charles and James the second, can never lie under 
the suspicion of being a dissenter; and that is the 
late Marquis of Halifax. This noble writer, in a 
little book under a borrowed character, gives his 
own sentiments of things. He tells us that, "He 
is far from relishing the impertinent wanderings of 
those who pour out long prayers upon the congre- 
gation, and all from their own stock ; a barren soil, 
which produces weeds instead of flowers ; and by 
this means they expose religion itself, rather than 
promote men's devotions. On the other side, there 
may be too great restraint put upon men, whom God 
and nature hath distinguished from their fellow- 
laborers, by blessing them with a happier talent, 



55S A PERSUASIVE 

aud by giving them not only good sense, but a pow- 
erful utterance too has enabled them to gush out 
upon the attentive auditory, with a mighty stream 
or devout and unaffected eloquence. When a man 
so qualified, endowed with learning too, and above 
al! 5 adorned with a good life, breaks out into a warm 
and well delivered prayer before his sermon, it has 
the appearance of a divine rapture : he raises and 
leads the hearts of- the assembly in another manner, 
than the most composed or best studied form of set 
words can ever do.: And the pray we's 5 who serve 
up all their sermons with the same garnishing, would 
look like so many statues, or men of straw in the 
pulpit, compared with those that speak with such a 
powerful zeal, that men are tempted at the moment 
to believe Heaven itself has dictated their words to 
them." 

V. A fifth persuasive to seek the gift of prayer, 
shall be drawn from the easiness of attaining it y 
with the common assistances of the Holy Spirit. 
Easg I call it, in comparison of the long toil and 
difficulty that men go through in order to acquire a 
common knowledge in ar.ts, sciences or trades in this 
world ; though it is not to be expected without some 
pains and diligence. 

Some young persons may be so foolish and un- 
happy, as to make two or three bold attempts to 
pray in company, before they have well learnt to 
pray in secret; and finding themselves much at ? 
loss and bewildered in their thoughts, or confound- 
ed for want of presence of mind, they have aban 
doned all hopes, and contented themselves with 



TO LEARN TO PRAY. 667 

saying, It is impossible : And as they have tempt- 
ed God, by rashly venturing upon such an act of 
worship without any due care and preparation, so 
that they have afterward thrown the blame of their 
own sloth upon God himself, and cried, It is a 
mere gift of Heaven, but God hath not bestowed it 
upon me. This is as if a youth who had just be- 
gun to read logic, should attempt to dispute in a pub r 
lie school, and finding himself baffled and confound- 
ed, should cast away his book, renounce his studies, 
and say, I shall never learn it, it is impossible. 
Whereas, when we seek any attainment, we must 
begin regularly, and go on gradually toward perfec- 
tion with patience and labor: Let but the rules re- 
commended in the second chapter of this treatise, 
for acquiring the gift of prayer , be duly followed, 
and I doubt not but a Christian of ordinary capaci- 
ty may in time gain so much of this skill, as to an- 
swer the demands of his duty and his station. 

Rather than I would be utterly destitute of this 
gift of prayer, I would make such an experiment as 
this. Once a month I would draw up a new prayer 
for myself in writing, for morning and evening, and 
for the Lord's day, according to all parts of this 
duty described in the first chapter of this book, or 
out of the Scriptures that Mr. Henry hath collected 
in his 'method of prayer (which book I would re- 
commend to all Christians:) I would use it con- 
stantly all that month, yet never confining myself 
all along to those very same words, but giving my- 
self a liberty to put in or l<-nve out, or enlarge 



668 A PERSUASIVE 

according to the present workings of my heart, or oc 
currences of providence. Thus by degrees I would 
write less and less, at last setting down little more 
than heads or hints of thought or expression; just 
as ministers learn by degrees to leave off their ser- 
mon-notes in preaching. I would try whether a 
year or two of this practice would not furnish me 
with an ability in some measure to pray without 
this help ; always making it one of my petitions 
that God would pour more of his spirit upon me, 
and teach me the skill of praying. And by such 
short abstracts and general heads of prayer, well 
drawn up for children, according to their years and 
knowledge, they may be taught to pray by de- 
grees, and begin before they are six years old. 

Obj. If any Christian that loves his ease should 
abuse this proposal, and say, " If I may use this 
prayer of my own framing for a month together, 
why may I not use it all my life; and so give my- 
self no farther trouble about learning to pray ?" 

Answ. 1. I would first desire such a man to read 
over again the great inconveniences mentioned in 
the second chapter, th^t arise from a perpetual use 
of forms, and the danger of confinement to them. 

Answ. 2. I would say in the second place, the 
matter of prayer is almost infinite: It extends to 
everything w r e can have to transact with our maker, 
and it is impossible, in a few pages, to mention par- 
ticularly one-tenth part of the subjects of our con- 
verse with God. But in drawing up new prayers 
every month, in time we may run through a great 



1X> LAERN TO PRAY. 659 

part of those suojects, and grow by degrees to be 
habitually furnished for converse with him on all 
occasions whatsoever : which can never be done 
by dwelling always upon one form or two. As 
children that I:arn to read at school, daily take out 
new lessons, that they may be able at last to read 
everything which they would not well attain, if they 
always dwelt on the same lesson. 

Answ. 3. Besides, there is a blessed variety of 
expressions in Scripture, to represent our wants, and 
sorrows, and dangers : the glory, power, and grace 
of God, his promises and covenant, our hopes and 
discouragements ; and sometimes one expression, 
sometimes another, may best suit our present turn 
of thought and temper of our minds. It is good 
therefore to have as large a furniture of this kind 
as possible, that we might never be at a loss to ex- 
press the inward sentiments of our souls, and clothe 
our desires and wishes in such words as are most 
exactly fitted to them. 

Answ. 4. Though God is not the more affected 
with variety of words and arguments in prayer, 
( for he acts upon other principles borrowed from 
himself) yet our natures are more affected with such 
a variety. Our graces are drawn into more vigor- 
ous exercise, and by our importunity in pleading 
with God with many arguments, we put ourselves 
more directly under the promise that is made to im- 
portunate peiiioners; and we become fitter to re- 
ceive the mercies we seek. 

Ye*, in the last place, I would answer dv way of 



560 A PERSUASIVE 

aoncession : if we have the scheme and substance 
of several prayers ready composed, and well suited 
to all the most usual cases and concerns of life and 
religion, and if one or other of these be daily used 
with seriousness, interposing new expressions where- 
ever the soul is drawn out to farther breathings after 
God, or where it finds occasion for new matter from 
some present providences : this is much rather to be 
approved than a neglect of all prayer, or a dwelling 
upon a single fom or two; and it will be more edi- 
fying to those who join with us, than a perpetual 
confusion of thought, and endless dishonorable at- 
tempts in the mere extemporary way. 

But I speak this by way of indulgence to persons 
of weaker gifts, or when the natural spirits are low, 
or the mind much indisposed for duty: and in these 
cases the way of addressing God, which is called 
mixed prayer, will be so far from confining the pi- 
ous soul to a dead form of worship, that it will 
sometimes prove a sweet enlargement and release to 
the spirit under its own darkness and confinement. 
It will furnish it with spiritual matter, and awaken 
it to a longer and more lively converse with God in 
its own language: and ( if I may use a plain compar- 
ison) it will be like pouring a little water into a 
pump, whereby a much greater quantity will be 
raised from the spring when it lies low in the earth. 

Obj. If any Christian on the other hand should 
forbid all use of such compositions, as supposing 
Ihem utterly unh;yvul, and quenching the Spirit, 

Answ. I would humbly reply, there is no danger 



TO LEARN TO PRAY. 561 

of that, while we do not rest in them, as our de- 
signed end, but use them only as means to help us 
to pray, and never once confine ourselves to them 
without liberty of alteration. It is the saying of a 
great divine, "Though set forms made by others, 
be as a crutch or help of our insufficiency, yet 
those which we compose ourselres, are a fruit of 
our sufficiency: and that a man ought not to be so 
confined by any premeditated form, as to neglect 
any special infusion; he should so prepare himself, 
as if he expected no assistance : and he should so 
depend upon divine assistance, as if he had made 
no preparation. 

Here, if I might obtain leave of my fathers in 
the ministry, I would say this to younger students: 
that if in their private years of study they pursued 
such a course once a week, as I have here described, 
I am persuaded their gifts would be richly improv- 
ed; their ministerial labors would be more univer- 
sally acceptable to the world ; their talents would 
be attractive of multitudes to their place of wor- 
ship ; the hearers would be raised in their Spirits 
while the preacher prays with a regular and divine 
eloquence ; and they would receive those sermons 
with double influence and success, which are attend- 
ed with such prayers. 

v^L The last attempt I shall' make to convince 
Christians of the necessity of seeking this gift, 
shall be merely by representing the ill-conse- 
quences of the neglect of it. If you take no pains 
to learn to pray, you will unavoidably fall into one 
of these three evils. 



562 A PERSUASIVE 

Either first, you will drag on heavily in the work 
of prayer all your days, even in your closet as well 
as your family, and be liable to so many imperfec- 
tions in the performance, as will rob your own soul 
of a great part of the benefit and the delight of 
this sweet duty, and give neither pleasure nor profit 
to them that hear you : the ignorant part of your 
household will sleep under you, while the more 
knowing are in pain for you. And perhaps you 
will sometimes think to make amends for the dull- 
ness of the devotion, by increasing the length of it: 
but this is to add one error to another, and lay more 
burdens upon them that are weary. 

Or, secondly, if you find that you cannot carry 
on the constancy of this duty with a tolerable sat- 
isfaction, you will give yourself up to a morning 
and evening form, and rest in them from year to 
year. Now though it may be possible for some 
persons to use a form without deadness and formal- 
ity of Spirit, yet such as from a mere principle of 
sloth, neglect to learn to pray, are most likely to 
fall into formality and slothfulness in the use of 
forms, and the power of religion will be lost. 

Or, in the last place, if you have been brea up 
with an universal hatred of all forms of prayer, and 
yet know not how to pray without them, you will 
grow first inconstant in the discharge of this duty; 
every little hindrance will put you by ; and at last 
perhaps you will leave it off entirely, and your 
house and your closet too in time will be without 



TO LEARN TO PRAY. 699 

Christians, which of these three evils will ye 
choose? Can ye be satisfied to drudge on to your 
life's end, among improprieties and indecencies; and 
thus expose prayer to contempt? Or will your 
minds be easy to be confined forever to a form or 
two of slothful devotion? Or shall prayer be ban- 
ished out of your houses, and all appearance of re- 
ligion be lost among you? 

Parents, which of these evils do ye choose for 
your children? you charge them to pray daily, you 
tell them the sin and danger of dwelling all upon 
prayer-books, and yet you scarce ever give them any 

regular instructions how to perform this duty 

How can ye expect they should maintain religion 
honorably in their families, and avoid the things 
you forbid? But whatsoever ill-consequences at- 
tend them hereafter, consider what share of the 
guilt will lie at the door of those who never took 
any pains to show them to pray 

While I am persuading Christians with so much 
earnestness to seek the gift of prayer, surely none 
will be so weak as to imagine the grace and spirit 
of prayer may be neglected. Without some de- 
grees of common influence from the blessed Spirit, 
the gift is not to be attained. And without the ex- 
ercise of grace in this duty, the prayer will never 
reach heaven, nor prevail with God. He is not ta- 
ken with the brightest forms of worship, if the 
heart be not there. B* the thoughts never so divine 
the expressions never so sprightly, and delivered 
with all the sweet and moving accents of speech, it 



§64 A PERSUASIVE TO LEARN TO PRAY. 

is all in his esteem but a fair carcase without a soul: 
it is a mere picture of prayer, a dead picture which 
cannot charm ; a lifeless offering, which the living 
God will never accept ; nor will our great High- 
Priest ever present it to the Father. 

But these things do not fall directly under my 
present design. I would therefore recommend my 
readers to those treatises that enforce the necessity 
of spiritual worship, and describe the glory of in- 
ward devotion above the best outward performances. 
Then shall they learn the perfection of beauty in 
this part of worship, when the gift and grace of 
prayer are happily joined in the secret pleasure and 
success of it, and appear before men in its full love- 
liness, and attractive power. Then shall religion 
look like itself, divine and heavenly, and shine in 
all the lustre it is caoable of here upon earth. 



WATCH AND PRAY. 665 



WATCH AND PEAY. 

Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.— 

Markxiv. 38. 

As Christ is the church's friend, so Satan is the 
church's enemy ; her greatest enemy, her crudest 
enemy, her worst enemy, her continual enemy. He 
that makes war against the remnant of her seed 
which keep the commandments of God and have 
the testimony of Jesus Christ, Rev. xii. 17. The 
devil envieth our happiness, and seelceth our ruin. 

1. By tempting us, 1 Cor. xv. 

2. By persecuting us, Thes. ii. lo 

3. By accusing us, Rev. xii. 10. 

4. By hindering us, 1 Thes. iii. 18. 

5. By beguiling us, 2 Cor. xi. 3. 

O beloved ! the devil is the great troubler of saints, 
the great deceiver of all nations, the great devourer 
of souls, the great enemy of mankind; who goeth 
about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may de- 
vour, 1 Pet. v. 8. 

But now here is the church's happiness that Christ 
is her friend, Cant. iv. 15. Her greatest friend, 
her dearest friend, her loving friend, her best friend, 
her constant friend, her sympathising friend, her 
mighty friend; by his blood she overcomes the 
devil, by his grace she resists the devil: by his 



566 WATOH AND PRAY. 

might she treads him under her feet; and by faith 
in his word, she quenches all the fiery darts of the 
devil. 

O ! though Satan hate us, Christ loves us; thouga 
Satan condemns us, Christ justifies us ; though Sa- 
tan accuse us, Christ clears us; though Satan tempt 
us, Christ strengthens us ; though Satan seeks 
to destroy us, Christ preserves us ; though Satan 
buffett us, Christ assists us. 1. By his spirit. 2. 
By his promises. 3. By his graces. 4. By his 
presence. 5. By his word. 6. By his interces- 
sion. 7. By his power. 8. By his ministers. 9. 
By his example. 10. By his prayer. 

O ! the Lord Jesus hath a great love for us, and 
care of us; and therefore he counsels us in the 
words of my text, To watch, and Pray lest ye en- 
ter into temptation. 

These are the words of our Lord Jesus to his 
disciples, they having been slumbering and sleeping, 
when Christ had commanded them to watch. They 
contain, 

1. A supposition of their entering into tempta- 
tion, upon which Christ grounds a mandatory ex- 
portation, showing them the way how to avoid it, 
these words, watch and pray, &c 

Hence we may raise these two points of doc- 
trine. 

Doct. 1. That a child of God is attended with 
temptations. 

Doct. 2. That the only way to avoid the evil of 
temptation, is to watch arid pray. 



WATCH AND PRAY. 407? 

For the first of these we may observe this method 
1. Of the temper. 2. Of the temptation. 3. 
Of the manner of their working : with reasons whyi 
they have so much power. First, We have four 
several tempters in scripture. 

First, God tempting men, that is, trying and* 
proving men ; as in Deut. viii. 2. That God tempt-; 
ed Abraham, Gen. xxii. 1. Which is interpreted,: 
Heb. xi. 17. By faith, Abraham, when he was 
tried, offered up Isaac, &c. This tempting is not 
evil, nor for our hurt ; but God tempts upon these 
accounts. 1. For the trial of his people's fear, as 
in that of Abraham, Gen. xxii. 12. For now I 
know that thou fearest God, seeing thou has not 
withheld thine only son from me. 2. God tempts 
for the trial of their faith ; he proves them in some 
thing that is near and dear to them ; perhaps de- 
prives them of some special necessary mercies ; to 
see whether they can trust in him, and believe in 
the want of it; whether they can live by faith in 
the God of mercies, when the mercies are gone ; as 
it is written the just shall live by faith, Heb. x. 38, 
Rom. i. 17. Again, 3. The Lord tempts for the 
proof of their obedience ; and thus the Lord speaks 
to Abraham after the trial, and in thy seed shall all 
the nations of the earth be blessed; Why? Be- 
cause thou hast obeyed my voice. In all this the 
Lord seeth what is in our hearts, as he said to Is- 
rael of old, Deut. viii. 2. We msy find men 
tempting God too, that is provoking God to jealousy 
and wrath ; rhns did the children of Israel at the 



568 WATCH AND PRAY. 

waters of Meribah, Deut. vi. 16. Ye shall not 
tempt the Lord your God, Exod. vii. 2. Where- 
fore do ye tempt the Lord ? But first of all, we 
tempt God when we doubt of his power ; as when 
we are in any strait or difficulty, we mistrust the 
power of God to deliver us, or bestow any mercy 
upon us which we stand in need erf, as the Lord 
did, on whose hand the king leaned, who said, if 
the Lord should make windows in heaven, might 
this thing be ! When God had promised in time 
of famine, that on the morrow there should be 
plenty, 2 Kings vii. 2. 

Secondly ', We tempt God when we doubt of his 
mercy; for God is mercy in the abstract, and it is 
a part of his glorious style : therefore he cannot 
lose so great a part of his honor, but is provoked 
by it. 

Thirdly y When we call his faithfulness in ques- 
tion ; what greater disparagement, or more disgrace- 
ful thing can there be to a man, than to be wrong- 
fully accused for falsifying his word ? Then how, 
much greater provocation is it to the great God, to 
be impeached for the breach of promise, and count- 
ed unfaithful, who cannot lie? 

Lastly, when we murmur at the hana of God, 
at any of his judgments, thus his Israel at Meribah, 
Exod. xvii. 2, 3. And this doth exceedingly in- 
flame and excite the wrath of God ; we cannot dis- 
pose of ourselves, and yet we are angry at the provi- 
dence of an all-wise God : we sin, and are troubled 
that God corrects us for sin. 



WATCH AND PRAY 569 

3. In the next place, our lusts are tempters, at 
James i. 14. Every man is tempted when he is 
drawn away of his own heart's lust, and enticed. 
Our lusts strive within us to be sinfully satisfied, 
and the flesh wars against the spirit, the heart some- 
times alluring, and this comes to pass. 
: 1. By presenting some sinful object. It is good 
not to nourish such conceptions, but to strangle them 
in their first appearance ; else sinful thoughts grow 
Upon us. 

2. By presenting some desirableness in the object: 
but be quick-sighted ; sin, however, it seems fair 
upon some colorable pretext, is indeed, upon good 
deliberation not at all to be desired; but sometimes 
it comes clothed in such a glorious garb, as if i* 
meant no harm ; but you must flee to God by prayer 
against this temptation. 

3. There is a persuasion to consent to the sin; 
but be not easily persuaded to offend your Father. 
O ! how will your lusts gain upon us, if we do not 
resist! Strive with all your might; the greater 
ygjjg^illurements are, the greater the sin is ; I ap- 
peal to saints experience. 

In the fourth and last place, We have the devil 
tempting men , he is called the tempter, Matt. iv. 
1,3. Matt. i. 1, 3. And indeed this is the grand 
tempter that makes use of our lusts, as a subservi- 
ent organ or instrument for his temptations against 
the soul, and indeed, were it not for our lusts, it 
would be in vain for Satan to tempt; as we see in 
Christ, there was nothing for Sitnn to take hold of. 



gryg WATCH AND PRAY. 

Christ being without sinful lusts, but Satan must 
come by word of mouth to tempt him, Matt. iv. 13. 
But here it may be enquired, how shall I know when 1 
Satan raiseth the temptation? 

1 . I answer, When it comes strongly and forci- 
bly upon the soul, as it were with a double power, 
even overflowing the soul, almost at the first en- 
counter, there's double strength in the stroke. 

2. When it is of long continuance ; as thac was 
which Paul besought the Lord thrice for, 2 Cor. 
xi. 8. Satan stirs up the heart afresh, and the lusts 
of the heart ; when the fire is ready to die and go 
out, he blows it up again, adds life and strength to 
the temptation^ which else could not last long. 

The lusts they are the combustible matter, and 
Satan he inflames and sets them on fire. 

The temptation, though it may be weak at the 
first, yet at length by degrees it grows stronger and 
stronger : Satan begins to reason with, and persuade 
the soul by plausible arguments. 

4. We may perceive the working of the serpent, 
the devil, when the temptation is full of wiles and 
subtle delusions, Eph. vi. 11, 2 Tim. ii. 16, Rev. 
ii, 2. The more intricate -rnd full of subtility the 
temptation is, the more c *ise there is to suspect; 
Satan is very busy for ensnaring the soul. 

5. And lastly, The more it is in direct opposi- 
tion to God in his commands, or the like, we may 
be more sure it is of Satan's framing ; for the heart 
and its lusts seeks for satisfaction, and then are still, 

(if Satan joins not) though God be not so directly 



WATCH AND PRAY. 671 

opposite ; but the devil strikes always at God in 
his temptations; or if not always, yet most fre- 
quently. 

This much for the tempter, now for the tempta- 
tion itself. There are several sorts of temptations; 
but to reduce them all to these three heads, they do 
concern and strike at. 

First of all, God; tins being Satan's great aim, 
to oppose God, as two enemies always indirect op- 
position one to the other ; and thus he tempts either 
first as to the being of God, called in question the 
very truth of the existence of the great God, causing 
the soul to doubt whether there be a God or not, 
like Pharaoh, Who is the Lord, &c, Exod. iii. 2. 

But, Secondly, Some temptations touch upor 
the nature of God ; as to the nature of his being, 
the mystery of the three distinct persons, as to their 
offices and operations in the individual God-head. 
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy 
Spirit; and yet all but one God, blessed forever. 
Again as to those inseparable divine attributes of 
GodJ his independency, purity, immutability, great 
ness and eternity, his goodness, grace, mercy, love, 
patience and justice; I say sometimes doubting of 
these things is our temptation; yea, and could Sa- 
tan prevail, we should flatly deny his being, nature, 
properties and all. Look sternly on, and resist 
strongly such temptations as these, which do imme- 
diately and presumptuously intrench upon God's 
sovereign and just prerogative. And if I mistake 
not, a great device of Satan's in this stratagem is to 



572 WATCH ANT> PRAY. 

persuade the creature from all dependence upon a 
Creator; that so being left to itself, and standing 
upon its own strength, he may more easily destroy 
it; for what is the creature without the Creator's 
power? 

Again, some temptations toucn our spiritual be- 
ing, such as an evil heart of unbelief, mistrusting 
the grace of God, despairing of the goodness of our 
condition; Satan would fain raise the very founda- 
tion of spiritual existence, adoption, justification, 
and hopes of salvation; it is his great design to 
shake the very ground-work of this building, and 
to persuade that all is false ; but this temptation is 
fruitless, when we build a right upon a good founda- 
tion b^ faith accompanied with repentance from dead 
works upon Christ Jesus, as the alone author and 
meritorious cause of our justification and eternal 
glorification. 

Lastly, Satan, with his fiery dart, strikes at our 
well-being, to disturb our peace by the omission 
of some duty, or commission of some sin; when 
he finds he cannot prevail to destroy our being, then 
he would deprive us of our well-being, our joy 
and comfort ; but know, though these temptations 
may trouble us, yet they shall never destroy us. 

Now for the manner of these temptations, how 
they work. 

1. When we fall under want, strait, change of 
providence, or the like, then is a time for temptation 
to work : as when Christ had fasted and was an 
hungered, then comes the tempter; If thou be the 



WATCH AND PRAY. 673 

Son of God, command that these stones be made 
bread, Matt. iv. 3. 

2. When ye are first turned from sin to God, then 
we are sure to meet with a tempter, Satan will be 
busy. 

3. When we are troubled, dejected, disconsolate, 
either as to the outward or inward estate, then be- 
ware of Satan's temptations, he will be furthering 
our disquietments. 

4. When we are arrived to some good hopes 
through grace, or some confidence in the mercy of 
God the Father, through his Son Jesus Christ, then 
also shall we find the battering assaults of Satan to 
shake our confidence ; but be sure always that the 
ground of our confidence be good, established upon 
the everlasting rock, Jesus Christ : for if I mistake 
not my observation, there are two great rocks which 
Satan strives to split a soul upon, presumption and 
despair. Sometimes endeavoring to cause souls to 
flatter themselves, and think grace is theirs, Christ 
is theirs, and all is theirs, when it is not so ; but 
by this he might carry them blind to hell, hood- 
winking their souls, so that they never come to see 
thoroughly that they are in a bad condition, but 
think always their condition is good. The other 
rock is despair. Satan striving, if he cannot blind 
them, as he doth other presumptuous souls, yet to 
make them go sorrowing all their days, thinking 
they shall never obtain that mercy, which others 
think they always had. 

6. Satan suits his temptations to our dispositions; 



674 WATCH AND FRAY. 

he bath various objects for divers spirits, for the' 
proud haughty soul, the lustful heart, the covetous 
worldling, the prodigal &on, the rash giddy brain, 
the sluggish drone, the melancholy person, the light 
cheerful spirit ; especially these two, either sinking 
the one in the terrible ways of black and dreadful 
thoughts, or tossing and lifting up the other with 
the wind of foolish fancy. Oh ! what black appre- 
hensions shall the one have of itself and God, and 
what light and slight thoughts the other of their pre- 
sent state, and of eternity. 

Lastly. Satan aims to lull the soul asleep in 
carnal security, and to this end presents great sins 
as small, and little sins, if any there be, as none at 
all. But sometimes he will add by temptations, as 
it were, a multiplying glass with a ghastly counte 
nance, and make them think their sin to be the sin 
against the Holy Spirit, and unpardonable. 

Having thus shown how, and upon what occa- 
sion Satan works ; I shall take occasion to enquire, 
why they have so much power as many times to 
prevail. 

1. Because of the tempter's power, he is per- 
haps too strong for the soul. 

2. Because of the tempter's policy ; if ne cannot 
prevail by open force, the soul being well and strongly 
grounded, then he invades with subtile devices, and 
secret stratagems, so the soul cannot escape by 
strength only ; and therefore wanting wisdpm to 
evade his cunning framed arguments, is baffled by 
him and overthrown. 



WATCH AND PIIAV. 576 

3. The enticing nature of the tempter's bait; as to 
instance in one case : O ! how many poor sincere 
souls, yet guilty of too much curiosity, have been 
entangled by curiously glorious, and gloriously cu- 
rious tenets, which were no better than the devilish 
temptations of that hellish tempter' How many 
(which is yet strange to think, though there is reason 
to fear it) may, after their seeming comfortable, 
really comfortless wandering, walking in through 
by ways of truth, have cause to let dow r n their steps, 
making for every step a sin, and every sin letting 
fall a tear of blood. 

4. Temptations often prevail by reason of the 
strength of corruption which the tempter works 
upon. Were there no corruption, there would be 
few or no temptations ; I am sure they should not 
prevail. 

5. And lastly. The tempter's prevalency pro- 
ceeds from the weakness and low estate of the in- 
ward man ; sin is never at a higher flood, than w r hen 
grace is at a low ebb. It is a hard matter (believe 
experience) to keep the soul from sinking at such a 
time. Nothing more easy than to thrust one under 
water, when the depth of the water is more than the 
height of the man. 

Object. But now to make sure tne doctrinal 
part, I shall lay down some reasons, why the peo- 
ple of God are thus attended with temptations ; for 
it is a natural object against this point. Why wall 
the Lord, who is so merciful to his people, suffer 
them to be thus used aud buffeted by temptations. 



676 WATCH AND PRAY. 

Answer. I answer in general on God's behalf, 
that he is nevertheless tender, as will appear in par- 
ticular. Thus: 

Because one end seems to be this, that they 
might know themselves the better, and see what they 
are naturally ; were it not for temptation, we should 
not come to know our own corruption. We see by 
this, what lust is more prevalent in us ; according to 
that, in Heb. ii. 1, the sin that doth so easily beset 
us, what Satan makes most use of against us ; we 
learn by this our own weakness to resist, without 
assisting grace. 

2. Again; it is for a saint's exercise; this tempted 
condition is God's artillery, his school of arms, 
wherein God brings up his children, trains them and 
instructs them how to clasp on their helmet of sal- 
vation, to put on the breast plate of righteousness, 
to hold on the shield of faith, to brandish the sword 
of the Spirit ; in a word, how to put on the Lord 
Jesus Christ ; even our whole armor of righteous- 
ness. 

3. That we might know our enemies; that we 
might be the more watchful over Satan, sin and the 
world. 

4. That we might long to be at home with pur 
Father ; that we might be weaned from the milk, 
and drawn from the breast of this present world. 

5. Lastly. The Lord doth it to bear down our 
pride, and keep us humble ; we should else be too 
much lifted up through our continued spiritual pros- 
perity ; and thus it was with Paul, 2 Cor. x. 7, 8. 



WATCH AND PRAY. 677 

This doctrine may afford us this useful applica- 
tion, by way of, 1. Information. 2. Reprehen- 
sion. 3. Examination. 4. Consolation. 5. Ex- 
hortation. 

First. Information ; it may inform us. 1. Of 
the devil's enmity, who is so miach the saint's foe, 
as that he will not let him be quiet. This old ser- 
pent that first deceived Adam-, and deprived him of 
paradise ; yea, and ever since hath been and still is 
very busy, to dispossess the saints, if possible, of 
their spiritual paradise 

2. We may learn hence the remaining seed of 
corruption that are in the best of saints, without 
which (as I noted before) the devil would alway* 
temp' in vain. 

3. We may perceive what is the saints state here 
below ; it hath indeed many fair pleasant prospects 
to the Christian eye, (I mean the eye of faith) but 
the way is a tempted, troublesome, dangerous way, 
Acts xiv. 22. 

4. It may teach us the wisdom of God, and his 
great care of the saints ; who made use of Satan's 
enmity, and our corruptions to do us good withal. 

Secondly. Reprehension! And thus it reproves 
those who think it an easy matter, a thing of nothing 
to be a Christian. 

2 It reproves such as censure poor, tempted, af* 
flicted ones. 1. Under their temptations, though 
not overcome. 2. When fallen; and Oh! how 
rash, uncharitable, and unchristian like are they.* 

3. It is.an occasion of rebuke to those who think 
Aa 



WATCH AND PRAY. 

it strange that either themselves or others should b* 



Thirdly. Examination : This is in these partic- 
ulars : 

1. To examine who is the tempter. 

2. To examine the temptation. 

3. To examine the frame of our heart under 
(hem, whether we carry i* lightly and indifferently, 
or are grieved and troubled for them. 

Fourthly. Consolation 5 from these arguments, 

Arg. 1. A tempted condition is frequent among 
the saints ; yea, and so usual, that I may confidently! 
question, whether there were ever truly a saint 
that was not tempted? And for this assertion there 
is a cloud of witnesses in scripture, one in Corin-' 
■thians x. 13. 

Arg. 2. God hath promised assistance to tempted 
ones, 2 Cor. xii. 9, My grace is sufficient for thee,! 
&c. God is able to help thee, when thou art- 
tempted. 

Arg. 3. Christ was tempted, that he mignt Know! 
how to succor those that are tempted, Heb. ii. 18,1 
read from verse 9. 

Arg. 4. It is a blessing, or a blessed thing to en- 
dure temptations, Jas. i. 12, and v. 11, 

Arg. 5. The saints temptations are needful for 
them; 1 Peter i. 6. Thou cannot be without them.' 

Arg. 6. They are but the trial of faith; 1 Pet. 1 
i. 7. James i. 3, 4; and should we be grievedthat 
Our faith is reproved ? The goldsmith rather useth 
flian SToideth the fire, for the trying of his gold; 



WATCH AND PRAT. 67* 

neither is the gold diminished, but rather its worth 
more fully known, when the dross is gone. TEis 
is the trial that doth try the feith of every child of 
God. 

Arg. 7. God hath promised the burden shall not 
be too great for us to bear ; 1 Cor. xiii. 14. This 
is ground of eomfort, to know we shall not be over- 
matched by the temptation. 

"Arg. A great comfort it is, that God thinks upon 
us at such a time : we are sure of this, because of 
the temptations, and also the support we have under 
them. 

Aro. 9. It is a great sign of God's love, else he 
would never take care to try and purge us. 

Arg. 10. Many times it goes before some signal 
providence, and we may take it as a great sign, that 
God is about to do some great thing for us, or we 
must be employed in some great work for him; thus 
he did with Israel, proved them forty years before 
he gave them to possess ihe land. 

Arg. 11. Be not disconolate ; strong and long 
enduring temptations, when meeting with resistance^ 
are £ strong argument of a strong faith, and espe- 
cially ofc the growth and increase of faith. But to 
be brief. 

A*g. 12. Consider the saints condition, here is 
not their best state ; their heaven is to come yet, 
where there is no tempter. 

Arg. 18. We have not been so much, nor so 
often tempted, as we ourselves have tempted God. 

\rg. M. The devil's temptations, though they 



680 WATUH AIM PRAY 

be evils, yet are not the saint's evils, unless they a». 
overcome by them. 

Arg. 15. It is a great sigi; of God's love, so of 
Satan's hatred ; and so consequently a token that 
thou art none of his, but God's, else he would never 
rage thus ; the devil makes no such ado with wicked 
ones. 

Aug. 16. As our temptations now abound, so 
shall our joys, in time, much more abound 

Many arguments for consolation I might make 
use of, and much more enlargements upon these, all 
which for brevity's sake I here omit. 

Fifthly. For exhortation: 1. Beware how you 
tempt the devil to tempt you ; how you give occa- 
sion by indulging any sin or lust. 2. When you 
are tempted, be not cowardly, but courageous; do not 
flee, but resist; James iv. 7; beware of pride, when 
delivered out of temptation; this may make us^fall 
into a dangerous relapse. 

Having finished this point, I proceed to show in 
the next observation, how we may avoid the evil of 
temptations. 

Doct. The only way to avoid the evil of temp- 
cation, is to watch and pray. 

In the handling of this doctrine, we may con- 
sider these four things : 

1. What it is to watch. 

2. What it is to pray. 

3. The proof this point. 

4. How watching and praying may conduce to 
oui" escape from the evil of temptation. 



WATCH AND PRAY. 6fll 

Concerning the duty of watching, observe. First, 
What watching implies. Secondly, How we may 
do to watch. 

First. Watching implies : 1. Continual waking, 
like the spouse, Cant. v. 2. 2. A diligent heark- 
ening; thus the watchman, Isai. xxi. 7. 3. A 
constant readiness, Peter exhorts under a metaphor- 
ical expression, 1 Peter i. 15, gird your loins, that 
is to be ready. It is taken from the Jews longgar- 
ments which they used to gird up about them, that 
they might run with less interruption 

Secondly, How we may do to watch; I shall but 
name the particulars. 

1 . Let the heart be continually fixed upon God, 
Oh ! how will this cool our affections to the world, 
and kindle the fire of love to God ! 

2. Let the eye be much upon self; this will keep 
us low in spirit : and blessed are the poor in spirit, 
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, Mat. v. 3. 

3. Beware of drowsiness; we should shake it off 
by prayer. 

4. Be well resolved in spirit; mind that of the 
prophet, 1 Kings xviii. 21. 

5. Be sure all be well with us; be sure the foun- 
dation be Christ; let there be no sins unrepented of 
that will breed sorrow; harbor no enemy nor lust in 
thy soul, Prov. xx. 9. 

6. Trust not the heart, no not thine own, but reg- 
ulate it by the word of God; for the heart is deceit 
ful, Jer. xvij. 9. And he is a fool that trusts in his 
own heart, Prov. xxvi" 16. 



682 WATCH AND PRAY. 

7. Keep therefore a narrow eye to thy heart f 
Prov. iv. 23. 

8. Gall thine heart often to a strict account, Psa. 
iv. 5. Examine diligently. What have I done? 
What do I know ? What am I about to do? ; 

9. And if there be anything out of order, tarry 
not, but repair it suddenly; lay sin upon Christ, 
and then mourn over it. 

10. Let nothing be suggested, and presently en- 
tertained, but first brought to trial : see if it be the 
will of God ; if it be for his glory; if it be not for 
his glory, it is not his will. 

11. Be sure to keep conscience clear; a little filth 
there stops all the channel: it is dangerous to know 
one sin, and not to confess it ; jnuch jnoie danger- 
ous to know thy sin and wink at it. 

12. For this end keep an open ear to conscience, 
let it speak. 

13. Let the mouth be stopped from sin, and the 
hands tied from wickedness ; David prays, that a 
watch may be set on the door of his lips; certainly 
it is very needful. 

14. Let the whole armor of God be puc on, 
Eph. vi. 10, to the 18th ver. 

Thus much concerning watching ; now concern- 
ing prayer; consider, 1. What prayer is; 2. The 
several kinds of prayer. 3. The manner how* we 
are to pray. 

First, Prayer is the outward enlargement of the 
soul's inward breathings; it is a work of God'f 
Spirit. <?mi :o flows out of the spirit and heart of 



WATCH AND PRAY. 588 

man. Zecfy. xii. 10 5 Rom. viii. 26, 27, Jude ver. 
xx, 1 Cor. xiv. 19, Psal. Ixii. 8, and ii. 4. Prayer 
is a talking of the heart and soul with God, and of 
such a heart as is prepared by God, Jer. xxix. x, 
Psal. xxvii. 1, and xxix. 17. 

Secondly, And thus it is either mental, in the 
heart only, Exod. xvi. 15, 1 Sam. i. 3, or else vo- 
cal, uttered by voice, Psal. Ixxvii. 1. Again there 
is secret prayer, when we pray alone ; that Daniel 
did when he set open his windows, Dan. vi. 10, 
11, or more public, when we pray with others in 
the family, congregation, &c. And here let some 
preparatives to prayer be added. 

1. Pray that you may pray; lift up your eyes and 
your hearts to God, when about to pray : thus did 
David, Psal. cxli. 1, 2. 

2. Meditate, 1. On God's sufficiency, and espe- 
cially his promises, Psal. 1. 15, Mat. vii. 7. This 
will make you confident in prayer. 2. On thine 
own wants and vileness that thou mayest be fer- 
vent: so did Ezra ix. 6, 7. 3. On the great majes- 
ty of God, to beget humility and lowliness of spirit, 
Eccles. v. 2, Gen. xxxii. 9, 10. 4. On. the rela- 
tion that thou standest to God, by C hrist, as the 
Father. 

Thixdly, Now, how are we to pray ? 

1 . We must pray what we understand, and un- 
derstand what we pray, 1 Cor. xiv. 15. 

2. We must pray in the Holy Spirit, be directed 
by it, Jude ver. 20, Rom. viii. 28. 

3 In tf»£ name and mediation of Christ, mat is 



584 WATCH AND PRVY. 

relying upon the merits of his, and not our own 
i ighteousness, John xiv. 13, 14. 

4. With faith, believing that God will give us 
what is good for us, James L 6, 7. 

5. With humility and acknowledgement of our 
own unworthiness, Psal. x. 17. 

6. With our hearts willing to be cleansed by the 
blood of Christ, James iv. 6. From every pollu- 
tion, Heb. xii. 12. Psalm lxvi. 18. 

7. With love to the saints, Mat. vi. 14, 15. 

8. With zeal and fervency, James v. 16. 

9. Do not give over, but wrestle with God for 
the blessing, with unwearied constancy, Lukexviii. 
1, to the 9th, Matt. xv. 

10. Pray for heavenly things first and most; seek 
earthly things in the second place; the one absolute- 
ly, the other conditionally, Mat. vi. 7. 

11. Pray for things agreeable to the will of God, 
1 John v. 14. 

12. Take heed ye love not long prayers, and 
think to be heard because they are long, Matthew 
vi. 33. 

Now to come to the proof of this point, That 
the only way to avoid the evil of temptation, is, to 
watch and pray. This is clearly stated in the text; 
so that it scarce needs more confirmation; only take 
that of Paul, when buffetted with temptations, For 
this, saith he, I besought the Lord thrice, 2 Cor. 
xii. 8. There is great need of watching and prayer, 
^ 1. Before we fall into temptation. 



WATCH AND PRAY. 686 

2. When we are under temptations, how watch- 
ing and prayer conduceth to the anticipating the as- 
saults of Satan and frustating temptation. 

First of all, For watching. 

1. It sets us in readiness for an assault; when 
we are expecting we shall not be taken unprovided. 

2. It adds resolution to stand out against Satan; 
we know suddenness strikes us into a fear, when 
expectation and deliberation increaseth courage. 

3. It is a countermine to all Satan's stratagems; 
it will deceive the deceiver, to find us watching 
with spiritual diligence, when he would have us 
sleeping in carnal security. 

Secondly, For prayer ; this conduceth to avoid 
(he evil of temptation ; because it fetcheth help 
from God, in whom is all our strength ; for it is 
God's promise, Call upon me in the day of trou- 
ble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify 
me, Psal. 1. 15. It is a great comfort under temp- 
tation to have God to go to, especially one that is 
able and willing to help. 

This may instruct us, that there is great need of 
watching; it is certainly a universal necessary duty 
for all saints, at whatever time, to watch : so saith 
Christ our Savior, What I say unto you, I say 
unto all, watch, Mark xiii. 37. The great end of 
this duty is the coming of the Lord Jesus; Watch, 
saith Christ, for ye know not what hour your Lord 
doth come, Matth. xxii. 42, 44. There are three 
considerations which mav move us to watch 



686 WATOH AND PRAY. 

1 . Let us consider, whom we offend and dishon- 
or by our neglect in watching, no less than God; 
and would we rather than want a nap of security, 
displease our God ? Is God no more worth to us 
than this? Let us seriously weigh how great an 
offence, how great a dishonor to God our unwatch- 
fulness is, this will engage us to watch. 

2. Let us consider whom we gratify by our neg- 
lects, no less an enemy than Satan, the enemy of 
our souls: and shall we please our grand adversary? 
Oh, no, then let us watch. 

3. Whom we displease, it is ourselves. And 
will we that our souls should be losers ? If not* 
kt us be much, yea, always, upon our watch. 

But, Thirdly, it may inform us of the necessity 
of prayer at all times ; Pray without ceasing, ] 
Thess. v. 17. So David would pray and cry aloud, 
at evening, at morning, and at noon, Psalm Iv. 17. 
And Daniel would pray thrice a day, Dan. vi. 13. 
It is the duty of all and every saint, in all condi- 
tions. In spiritual things. 1. Pray for grace thai 
God would give and increase it either in thyself or 
others. 2. Pray against sin, against the guilt of 
sin, against the power of sin. 3. Pray against Sa- 
tan's temptations. 

1. Against the occasion of the temptation (thai 
if it be possible,) thou may shun and escape th»> 
very appearance of it. 

2. That the strength of corruption witiiin, and 
1>uj power of temptation without, may not be so 
prevalent as to lead thee captive to evil. 



WATCH AND PRAY. 58Tj 

3. Pray that the entrance into temptation may be' 
no disadvantage to thy grace ; and that the escape* 
out may be no impeachment to, but rather for the- 
advancement of God's gloiy. 

1 . Pray for nothing but what thou standest in 
need of. Unnecessary things are not to be the sub- 
ject of our petitions: and therefore our Savior bids 
us pray for our daily bread : so that man Agur,i 
Give me neither poverty nor riches, Proverbs xxx., 
1—8. 

2. Even in these things pray witn submission to 
the will of God. 

3. If watching and prayer be the means to es- 
cape the evil of temptation, then the strength of the 
saints is not sufficient ? No, we must go to Him 
for deliverance. 

4. If we do not watch and pray, all other means 
are irregular at least, if not sin. 

This much for information: now for exhorta- 
tion, 

1. Watch and pray continually, but especially 
at a time of temptation. 2. Be serious in watch- 
ing and prayer ; some do it between hot and cold, 
or by fits, or much lightness of spirit : but saith the 
Apostle, Be sober, and watch unto prayer. So- 
briety and seriousness becomes those that call upon 
God. 



683 APPENDIX. 



i THE CONTRAST. 

Two candidates of very different character, ap- 
peared, to solicit the votes of mankind ; Beelzebub, 
a prodigal rake, who in a few days of his youth, 
had spent his large patrimony, and rendered himself 
and many millions of his friends absolutely bank- 
rupt and miserable ; but who, nevertheless become 
more and more proud ; and by his impudence, flaU 
tery, falsehood, and other arts, gained the character 
of a most fashionable and prevalent orator, was 
one. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of the 
most high God, whose abilities for management, and 
his fidelity, as well as his true love to God and man 
were absolutely infinite ; and who had the tongue 
of the learned to speak words that are spirit and 
life to every attentive hearer, was the other. An 
assembly of some hundred thousand millions being 
convened, though not all precisely at the same time, 
Beelzebub had the presumption first, to ascend the 
hustings, and with a frowning smile and loud cry, 
begged their favorable attention. The whole as- 
sembly, except a few, heard him several hours, 
without so much as a wandering eye or thought, 
or the least impatience. He harangued to this pur- 
pose: "My dear princes, noblemen, gentlemen, 
clergymen and commons, with your respective prin- 
cesses and ladies — you cannot but be deeply sensi- 
ble of my near relation to you, as your common 



APPENDIX. 689 

parent, and of my constant abode and familiar con- 
descensions among you; my zeal for your present 
established constitution hath, since our first connec- 
tion been steady and ardent. In every possible 
form, I have constantly contended for your unlimited 
liberty, both religious and civil. I have ever per- 
mitted you to comply as far with the doctrines and 
laws of mine adversary as can consist with youi 
natural inclinations, or can tend to promote you* 
true pleasure,, honor and wealth in this world. For 
your manifest advantage, I have contended for, and 
encouraged your unallayed rejoicing in the day of 
your youth, and your unbounded liberty to fulfil the 
desires of the flesh and mind, and to walk in the 
ways of your heart, and in the light of your eyes; 
and to live in a truly easy, cheerful, genteel and 
fashionable manner. In the lust of your flesh, the 
lust of your eye, and the pride of life — withhold- 
ing nothing from yourself that your soul desireth. 
Your small services to me, I have been always ready 
to reward with the riches, crowns, or kingdoms of 
chis world. I have almost racked my wits, and ex- 
pended my treasures in inventing for your new 
forms of manly principles, exalted honors, and im- 
mense riches, that I might cause you to enjoy a 
very heaven upon earth. Instead of the mean dull 
drudgery of prayer, ranting of psalms, searching 
of bibles, and hearing of canting harangues con- 
cerning Christ and eternity, Heaven and hell, 1 
have largely furnished you with a set of customary 
oaths, excellent novels and romances > stage plays, 



690 APPENDIX. 

ana poppet shows, masquerades, balls, assemblies, 
merry carousals, processions, horse races, cockwj 
fighting, cards and dice, and many other diversions 
infinitely delightful. By the care of myself and 
my servants, the most of you have the good sense 
to discern that pitiful scribble called the Bible, is 
but an arrant impostre, the principles of which are 
a disgrace to human nature; and its laws, unless as 
they forbid gross thefts in civilized nations, an in- 
tolerable burden. To render your minds as compo- 
sed as possible, we have also irrefragably proved 
that hell is a mere bugbear, scarcely believed by 
one preacher of a hundred ; and that, if there be a ■ 
neaven or eternity, and a God, he is naturally obli- 
ged to exert himself to his uttermost in making all 
his * creatures happy ; and so, instead of damning 
any of you, must bestow upon you an everlasting 
happiness, answerable to your natural appetites. 
Let therefore your so richly deserved gratitude de- 
termine each of you to support me on this impor- 
tant occasion ; which if you do, I solemnly prom- 
ise on my word of honor, to exert m; ^lf for your 
true and present welfare to the very uttermost of my 
power. My only opponent scarcely deserves your 
or my notice. With pleasure, my lords and gen- 
tlemen, I know that you have the good sense to 
hold him in sovereign contempt. Most of you 
never so much as heard of him till this very day. 
His own account of himself, if it had any truth in 
it, represents him as absolutely despicable — a man 
at sorrows — a worm, and no man. — mean in his 



APPENDIX. 691 

birth — '*enasea— poor, and hated in his life, and 
infamous in his death. Not learned doctors, prin 
ces, noblemen, or gentry ; but some infatuated or 
-pitifully weak dregs of mankind, have ever marked 
the least regard for him. And indeed none in his 
wits will ever prefer one who allots nothing but a 
life of trouble and torment to his friends — requires 
them to deny themselves, and threatens eternal dam- 
nation for the most trifling deviation from his ab- 
surd commands. 

This flattering speech was received with such 
multitudes of loud huzzas that earth and hell rang 
again with no Jesus Christ, but Beelzebub forever* 
Notwithstanding this horrid affront, Jesus Christ, 
in infinite compassion to the multitude, mounted 
the hustings, and in the most solemn and serious 
manner, begged their attention. But such was their 
hubbub and outrageous clamor, that had not his 
voice been as of the Almighty, when he speaketh, 
he had got no hearing at all, ai- A indeed, till about 
evening tide, almost no man regarded him. He ad- 
dressed such as did not run off, in this manner with 
the tear in his eye. To you, Omen, I call, and 
my voice is to the sons of men, How often would 
I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens 
under her wings, and ye would not ; Ye have been 
called to the most high, and none would exalt him. 
. have called and ye refused. I stretched out my 
hand, and no man regarded. Ye have set at nought 
all my counsel, and would none of my reproof, ye 
would have none of me. What shall I do unto 



692 APPENDIX 

you, O sinners ! O children of disobedience, who 
are of your father, the devil, and the lusts of your 
father ye do. How shall I give you up? How 
shall I make you eternal monuments of my wrath, 
as Admah, and as Zeboim ; mine heart is turned 
within me, and my repentings are kindled together 
Ah ! you have destroyed yourselves, but in me is 
your help. How long, you simple ones, will you 
love simplicity; and you scorners, delight in scorn- 
ing; and ye fools, hate knowledge? Turn ye at 
my reproof, behold I pour out my spirit upon you, 
and make known my words unto you. Hear, O 
my people, and I will speak; I will testify against 
you. I am God, even thy God. And as I live 
saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of 
the wicked ; but that they should turn and live. 
Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die ? What is a man 
profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose his 
own soul ? or, what shall a man give in exchange 
for his soul ? In my own, and my Father's name, 
I beseech you to be reconciled unto God ; for he 
hath made me, who knew no sin, to be sin; to be a 
curse for you, that you might be made the right- 
eousness of God, and forever blessed with all spir- 
itual blessings in me. God so loved the world that 
he gave me, his only begotten Son, that whosoever 
believeth in him might not perish, but have everlast- 
ing life. He hath sanctified, sealed, and sent me 
into the world, to seek and to save that which was 
lost : hath sent me forth in the likeness of sinful 
Hesh, that I might give my life a ransom for many: 



APPENDIX. 69S 

hath sent me, a Savior, and a great one, to deliver 
you ; — to give you repentance and remission of sins, 
and bless you in destroying the works of the devil, 
and turning every one of you from his iniquities ; 
hath given me for a covenant to the people, a light 
unto the Gentiles, and his salvation to the ends of 
the earth. Having loved you with an everlasting 
love, I, from eternity, covenanted for your surety, 
and undertook to pay all your infinite debt to an 
offended God. In the fulness of time I became 
your brother, born for your adversity, God in youi 
nature, as well as on your side. In your stead, I 
myself bore your sins, and all the curse, punishment, 
and death, due to them ; finished transgression, and 
made an end of sin ; and fulfilled all righteousness 
required by the broken law ; nay, magnified the law, 
and made it honoyable. Haying thus loved you, and 
given myself for you to God as a sacrifice of a 
sweet smelling savour, a propitiation for the sins of 
the world, I was raised again for your justification, 
ascended upon high, and received gifts for men> 
yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God 
might dwell among them ; had all things, all power 
in heaven and earth, delivered unto me of my Father, 
that I might give eternal life to as many as I will; 
was called to his right hand, that by continual inter- 
cession. I might be able to save to the uttermost all 
them that come unto God by me. Let, therefore, 
all this multitude know assuredly, that God hath 
made me Jesus, whom ye have despised and cru- 
cified, both Lord and Christ, that I am made of 



5M APPENDIX. 

God unto you, ignorant, guilty, polluted and en- 
slaved sinners, wisdom and righteousness, sanctifi- 
cation and redemption, that ye may be saved in^me 
with an everlasting salvation. Look, therefore un- 
to me and be ye saved from every plague and mis- 
ery, and to every form or degree of true happiness, 
in time oreternity ; for I am God, and there is none 
else; — a just God and a Savior; there is none be- 
side me; — no salvation in any other — no other 
name under heaven given among men by which you 
can be saved. Incline your ear and come unto me: 
hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make 
with you an everlasting covenant, even the sure 
mercies of David : — abundant pardon and accepta- 
ble through my blood: adoption into my family; 
newness of heart in conformity to my image; com- 
fort in fellowship with me, and God himself is your 
God. Come unto me all you that labor and are 
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

My son, give me thine heart. If any man thirst,! 
have* any need, let him come unto me and I will 
give him to drink that water which shall be in him 
a well springing up unto everlasting life. If any 
man hear my voice, I will give to him eternal life, 
and he shall never perish, nor shall any be able to 
pluck him out of my Father's hand. For this is 
the will of him that sent me, that every one that 
seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have ev- 
erlasting life. All that the Father. giveth me shall 
oome unto; and him that cometh unto me I will in 
no wise cast out. Now is the accepted time, now 



APPENDIX. 596 

is the day of salvation. Harden not your heart*. 
How shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salva- 
tion. If ye tread under foot the Son of God and 
count the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was 
sanctified, an unholy thing, and do despite unto the 
Spirit of grace ! 

He pronounced these and many other like words, 
with such amazing earnestness, power, and life, that 
multitudes, even of those that had most heartiy 
voted for Beelzebub recanted, with great melting 
of heart, cried out, "Behold, we come unto thee, 
for thou art the Lord our God; — God my Savior, — 
my Master, — my Lord and my God! Lord, 
our God ! other lords beside thee have had domin- 
ion over us; but by thee only will we taake men- 
tion of thy name. This is a faithful saying, and 
worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came 
into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief! 
Thine I am, O Jesus, and on thy side, thou Son of 
God !" Blessed be he that cometh in the name of 
the Lord to save us ! Hosanna to the Son of David ! 
Hosanna in the highest ! Beelzebub, nevertheless, 
attempted to support himself by his numbers! but 
his cause being tried, it was found that all the fair 
legal votes were for Jesus Christ. 

S. S. HENDERSON. 



596 APPENDIX. 

MESSENGERS FROM HEAVEN. 

Sirs: My object is, to show that the angels of 
heaven have had intercourse with the inhabitants of 
this world ! and the offices they perform as minis- 
tering spirits to the heirs of salvation, the same 
humble and condescending demeanor is displayed. 
One of the highest order of these celestial messen- 
gers--"Gabriel, who stands in the presence of 
God," — winged his flight from his heavenly man 
sion to our wretched world, and, directing his course 
to one of the most despicable villages of Galilee 
entered into the hovel of a poor virgin and deliver- 
ed a message of joy, with the most affectionate and 
condescending gratulations. Another of these be- 
nevolent beings entered the dungeon in which Peter 
was bound with chains, knocked off his fetters, ad- 
dressed him in the language of kindness, and deliv- 
ered him from the hands of his furious persecutors. 
When Paul was tossing in a storm, on the the bil- 
lows of the Adriatic, a forlorn exile from his na- 
tive land, and a poor despised prisoner, one whom 
the grandees of this world looked down on with 
contempt, — another of these angelic beings, "stood 
by him" during the darkness of the night and the 
war of the elements, and consoled his mind with 
the assurance of the Divine favor and protection 
Lazarus was a poor, despised individual, in abject 
poverty and distress, to be fed with the crumbs that 
fell from the table. His body was covered with 
boils and ulcers, which were exposed without cov- 
ering, to the open air, for "the dogs came and lick- 
ed his sores." Poor and despised as Lazarus was, 
a choir of angels descended from their mansions 
of glory, attended him on his dying couch, and 
wafted his disembodied spirit to the realms of bliss. 
Yes, with respect to the angels, we are informed by 
Paul that "they are all ministering spirits, sent 



APPENDIX. 697 

forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of sal- 
vation. 53 Hence we learn, from sacred history, that 
they delivered Peter from the fury of Herod and 
the Jewish rulers, — Daniel from the ravenous lions, 
— -Lot from the destruction of Sodom — and Jacob 
from the hands of Esau — "that they strengthened 
and refreshed Elijah in the wilderness, — comforted 
Daniel when covered with sackcloth and ashes — 
directed Joseph and Mary in their journey to Egypt 
; — and Cornelius to Peter, to receive the knowledge 
of salvation,— that they communicated "good ti- 
dings of great joy/ 5 to Zacharias, the father of 
John the Baptist, — to the Virgin Mary, — and to the 
shepherds in the plains of Bethlehem, — consoled 
the hearts of the disconsolate disciples by proclaim- 
ing of the resurrection of the Lord and Savior. — 
When the vision of the New Jerusalem was exhib* 
ited to John by a celestial messenger, he "fell down 
to worship before the feet of the messenger who 
showed him these things." But the messenger for- 
bade him, saying — "1 am thy fellow-servant, and 
of thy brethren the prophets, and of them that keep 
the testimonies of the Lord." These words would 
naturally lead us to conclude that this messenger 
was a departed saint, since he designates himself a 
brother, a prophet, and a fellow-servant. Pe* 
haps it was the spirit of Moses, of David, of Is?i- 
iah, of Jeremiah, or of Daniel, who would account 
an honor to be employed in such a service by their 
exalted Lord But whether or not such a supposi* 
tion may be admitted, certain it is, that the saints'- 1 
will hereafter be employed in active, benificent ser- 
vice in concert with other holy beings, so long as 
their existence endures. For they are constituted! 
"Kings and Priests to the God and Father of our 
Lord Jesus Christ," and are "workers together with 
God/ 5 carrying forward the plans of his govern- 



INDEX. 







PAGE. 


Preface - - - - 


* 


3 


Dedication 




5 


Address to the Reader 


- 


9 


Desire of all Nations 


- 


11 


The King of Kings 


- 


24 


The Mighty God 


. 


71 


The Everlasting Father 


• 


89 


The Prjnce of Peace 




101 


The Elect Precious - - 




117 


Wonderful - 




- 141 


Believers Golden Chain 




163 


SECOND PART. 




cabinet of jewels. 






The straight way to Heaven 


• 


220 


Follow the Lamb - 




260 


Call to sinners, or 






Christ's voice to London 




312 


Considerations of death 




341 


A Guide to Prayer. 


• 


263 



CHAP. I. 

Sect. 1. Nature of Prayer - 366 

2. Of Adoration * 356 

3. Of Confession - - 659 

4. Of Petition .... 362 
6. Of Pleading - - - 367 

6. Of Profession and 

Self-dedication - - 374 

7. Of Thanksgiving, ... 378 



CHAP. II. 

OP THE GIFT OF PRAYER. - 384 

Sec. 1. What is the Gift of Prayer, - 385 

2. Of Forms of Prayer, - - 386 



INDEX. 599 
PAGE. 

3. Matter of Pravef, - 402 

4. Method of Prayer, - - - 419 

5. Expression in Prayer, - - 426 

6. Of the Voice in Prayer, - - 447 

7. Gesture in Prayer, - - 455 

8. General Directions about the 

Gift of Prayer, - 467 



CHAP. Ill 

©F THE GRACE OF PRAYER 47? 

Sec. 1 . What the Grace of Prayer is, 

and how it differs from the Gift, 474 

2. General Graces of Prayer, - 478 

3. Graces that belong to particular 

parts of Prayer, - - - 481 

CHAP. IV. 

OF THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER, 490 

Sec. 1. Proofs of the assistance of the 

Spirit of God in Prayer, * 492 

2. How the Spirit assists us in 

Prayer, - - - 503 

3. Cautions about the Influence of 

the Spirit, - - 508 

4. Directions to obtain and keep 

the Spirit of Prayer, - - 531 

CHAP. V. 

A PERSUASIVE TO LEARN TO PRAY, 542 

Watch and Pray, - 565 

The Contrast, - " - • 588 

Messengers from Heaven. - - 596 



PROPOSALS 

foil RE-PUBLISHING BY SUBSCRIPTION, A WORK ENTITLED 

THE BELIEVER'S GOLDEN CHAIN; 

Embracing Christ's Famous Titles, being the 
Desire of all Nations, the King of Kings, the 
Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince 
of Peace, the Elect precious, and Wonderful. — 
These are Christ's different titles, and are heads of 
discourses, each of them. Also, a Believer's Gold- 
en Chain, consisting of twelve links, a Cabinet of 
Jewels, or a glimpse of Zion's Glory, written by 
the Rev. William Dyer, minister of the Gospel 
in England ; together with a lengthy sermon on 
" Follow the Lamb." Also, 

CHRIST'S VOICE TO LONDON, 

OR CALL TO SINNERS. 

and the great day of God's wrath, being the sub- 
stance of two sermons preached in the city at the 
time of the sad visitation. Also, considerations 
on Death, giving reasons why men fear it and why 
they should not fear it ; together with the necessity 
of watching and praying. Likewise, 
A GUIDE TO PRAYER: 
With a rational account of the gift, grace, and spirit 
of prayer, with plain directions how every Chris- 
tian may obtain them ; giving the several parts of 
prayer, viz: Invocation, Adoration, Confession, 
Petition, Pleading, Profession or Self-Dedication, 
Thanksgiving, and Blessing; each of which will 
be spoken of very particularly. The whole will 
be concluded with an earnest address to christians, 
to seek after this holy skill of converse with God. 

Believer's Gulden Chain. 

Conditions. — This work contains 600 Duodecimo pages, 
printed on good paper, from stereotype plates : neatly bound 
in good leather, lettered on the back with gold-leaf, and de- 
livered to subscribers at the low price of $1 ,00 a copy. 
„ ,_ ^_ S. S. HENDERSON, Publisher, 

* *- - -Fairview, Guernsey Co., Ohio. 



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